UPPER MESOSPHERE TEMPERATURES IN SUMMER - WINDII OBSERVATIONS AND COMPARISONS

Atmospheric temperature measurements from the Wind Imaging Interferome ter (WINDII) on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), determ ined from the observed Rayleigh scattering are presented. Infrared rad iances predicted from these profiles are compared with measurements fr om the Improved Stratospheric and Mesospheric Sounder on UARS for nine cases of spatial and temporal coincidence with an effective differenc e of about 5-10 K in the height range 70-85 km. A comparison with mont hly averaged SME results and Rayleigh lidar temperature observations a t mid-latitudes taken 8 years earlier indicated that WINDII temperatur es were cooler on average by 10 K; this is consistent with a temperatu re decrease of 1.5 K/year inferred from the SME and lidar results. At high latitudes the agreement between falling spheres and WINDII was fo und to be very good.