High altitude effects

A unique application of IR spectroscopy to expl technology is the measurement of auroral far IR emissions (Ref 43). In conjunction with the High Altitude Effects Simulation (HAES)... 

Conditions are frequently suitable for the formation of lee waves over the mountainous regions of the US, an effect that is routinely exploited by glider pilots to obtain exceptionally high altitudes. The combination of lee waves with strong winds that are sufficient to produce damage to structures is fortunately rare, but do occur in hazardous mountainous regions. 

Since feedbacks may have a large potential for control of albedo and therefore temperature, it seems necessary to highlight them as targets for study and research. Besides the simple example above of cloud area or cloud extent, there are others that can be identified. High-altitude ice clouds, for example, (cirrus) have both an albedo effect and a greenhouse effect. Their occurrence is very sensitive to the amount of water vapor in the upper troposphere and to the thermal structure of the atmosphere. There may also be missing feedbacks. 

Levels below 19.5% oxygen can have detrimental effects if the body is already under stress, e.g. at high altitudes. Exposures below 18% should not be permitted under any circumstance. Other chemicals, e.g. carbon monoxide, result in toxic anoxia due to damage of the body s oxygen transport or utilization mechanism. 

Berglund, B. and Hemmingsson, P., Effects of caffeine ingestion on exercise performance at low and high altitudes in cross-country skiers, International Journal of Sports Medicine, 3, 234, 1982. 

Effect of Acid Deposition on Chemistry and Biology of High-Altitude Alpine Lakes... 

Acidification Effects on High-Altitude Alpine Lakes 2.1 Description of the Study Site... 

Acute mountain sickness PO 500-1000 mg/day in divided doses, if possible, begin 24-48 hr before ascent continue at least 48 hr at high altitude. Initially, 250 mg 2 times/day use lowest effective dose. 

But even at the thin atmosphere at high altitudes, atmospheric distortion limits the ability of telescopes to discern faint objects. Adaptive optics helps by sensing this distortion and instantly adjusting the optical properties of the instrument to counteract the harmful effects. The process must operate continually since air moves around, and the extent and nature of atmospheric distortion changes rapidly. 

Johnston, H. S D. E. Kinnison, and D. J. Wuebbles, Nitrogen Oxides from High-Altitude Aircraft An Update of Potential Effects on Ozone, J. Geophys. Res., 94, 16351-16363 (1989). 

About 14 types of nose fuzes (of which 4 types are VT fuze) are used in GP bombs, old series, in addn to 8 types in tail fuzes New Series GP Bombs are not listed in Ref 44, but two of such bombs 750-lb Ml 17 and 3000-lb Ml 2 8 are described in Ref 51a, pp 2-26. 2-27. They are designed for high blast effects and for improved aerodynamic performance accuracy in flight when released from most altitudes and airspeeds. Their bodies are cigarshaped with a conical fin-assembly bolted to the rear. This can be seen from Fig 2-5. The Fig 2-20 of Ref 51a showing their cutaway view is not reproduced here because its lines are too faint to understand the inside construction... 

Another possible solution to the problem of high temperature stability is the use of additives. Not exactly a stranger to petroleum people (as evidenced by use in gasoline and lubricants) they generally fall into two classes metallic and non-metallic. The former, for the most part are metal salts of sulfonates or naphthenates, whereas the latter are either amines or amine derivatives (later other organics may prove more effective) Use of additives in jet fuels, however, must of necessity be approached with caution. As surface active materials, many have a variety of uses and properties. Hence, they must not introduce new problems such as foaming at high altitudes, emulsification, or interference with low temperature flow. These could easily be severe limitations, but additives are under serious consideration thruout the industry... 

---