Satellite measurements of the atmospheric content of metallic ion and neutral species Original Research Article

Column densities of meteoric metals including Mg, Mg+, Fe, Fe+, and Si can be measured using the nadir viewing global ozone measuring experiment (GOME) UV–Vis spectrometer on the ERS-2 satellite. The instrument has a spectral range from 237 to 793 nm with a wavelength resolution of 0.2 nm in the 237–316 nm region. The instrument measures all wavelengths simultaneously. Metal measurements are made in the 240–300 nm spectral range. A sample of data has been analyzed and gives a column density of 7.9 × 109 cm−2 for Mg and 2.6 × 1010 cm−2 for Mg+. The column density for Fe is 2.6 × 109 and 3.8 × 109 cm−2 for Fe+. The column density of Si is 2.1 × 1010 cm−2. This is the first satellite measurement of Si column abundance.