Influence of Ionization on the Neutral Atmosphere

Abstract

Ionizing radiation can affect both the dynamics and the chemical composition of the neutral atmosphere through macroscopic heating effects and through microscopic chemical reactions. The dynamical effects, which take place mainly in the thermosphere, will be described in other papers in this collection, and this paper will concentrate on the chemical aspects. Specifically, we will be concerned with the stratosphere, where residence times of certain species tend to be very long and where effects can take place that are potentially important to our surface environment. The chief objective will be to explore the consequences of very intense ionizing events, more intense than any that have occurred within the brief period of man’s interest in such effects, but well within the range of intensities that may have occurred in the distant past, or that might occur in the future. The latter part of the paper will be concerned with a tentative study of the potential effects of such events on the global climate, which is a topic of major current interest.