Because previous interpretations of ground-based airglow measurements have used photochemical rate coefficients quite different from those deduced from the Atmosphere Explorer series of measurements, the question arises of whether the AE rates are as successful at explaining ground-based data as they are at explaining satellite data. In this paper we use the AE photochemistry to interpret simultaneous observations made at the Arecibo Observatory of O I (6300 ¿) and N I (5200 ¿) airglow surface brightness and electron density and temperature profiles measured by incoherent scatter radar. We find that theory and experiment are in agreement for the 5200-¿ emission. However, we are unable to obtain complete agreement for the 6300-¿ nightglow and suggest that the source of the discrepancy lies with one of the parameters used to calculate the production rate of O(1D). The data show clear evidence of an asymmetrical behavior of the ionosphere between times when the F layer is descending and times when it is ascending. This asymmetry probably reflects the effects of transport on molecular ion densities in the bottom side of the F region. Our results support a low rate for the quenching reaction between N(2D) and O. Calculations indicate that measurements of airglow surface brightnesses are relatively insensitive to the abundance of atomic nitrogen in the atmosphere.