Radiative cooling of the 30 - 110 km atmospheric layer.

Near the solstice and equinox, the altitude-latitude distributions of cooling rate in the 15 μm CO₂ and 9.6 μm O₃ bands and in the rotational H₂O band have been calculated. The atmosphere near 75 km in the vicinity of the equator is heated due to thermal radiation transfer in all seasons. The atmosphere is also heated around the pole near the mesopause in spring, and in autumn it is slightly cooled. Estimates are given of the influence of tropospheric clouds on radiative cooling above 25 km and of additional cooling of the lower thermosphere caused by the propagation of gravity waves and tidal modes. Conclusions have been drawn on the dynamics of the middle atmosphere and its contribution to the thermal regime.