A deterministic temperature model for stratospheric optical turbulence

A deterministic model for the refractive index structure constant, Cn2, is presented for the nighttime, subtropical stratosphere from 17 to 30 km. The model stems from a theoretical formulation of Tatarski and contains the product of an unknown parameter and quantities calculated from meteorological data. Using high resolution thermosonde data for Cn2, altitude profiles for the fitting parameter are calculated and fitted. These exhibit a great similarity in magnitude and trend and an average fitted curve is presented for the fitting parameter. A sample model Cn2 profile is presented and this exhibits the correct magnitude and trend and shows a degree of stratification.