Strong Localized Pumping of Water Vapor to High Altitudes on Mars During the Perihelion Season
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Authors
Brines, A.
López-Valverde, M.A.
Funke, B.
González-Galindo, F.
Aoki, S.
Villanueva, G.L.
Holmes, J.A.
Belyaev, D.A.
Liuzzi, G.
Thomas, I.R.
Erwin, J.T.
Grabowski, U.
Forget, F.
Lopez-Moreno, J.J.
Rodriguez-Gomez, J.
Daerden, F.
Trompet, L.
Ristic, B.
Patel, M.R.
Bellucci, G.
Vandaele, A.C.
Discipline
Physical sciences
Subject
Mars
atmosphere
water vapor
ExoMars/TGO
NOMAD
solar occultation
Audience
Scientific
Date
2024Metadata
Show full item recordDescription
Here we present water vapor vertical profiles observed with the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter/Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery instrument during the perihelion and Southern summer solstice season (LS = 240°–300°) in three consecutive Martian Years 34, 35, and 36. We show the detailed latitudinal distribution of H2O at tangent altitudes from 10 to 120 km, revealing a vertical plume at 60°S–50°S injecting H2O upward, reaching abundance of about 50 ppmv at 100 km. We have observed this event repeatedly in the three Martian years analyzed, appearing at LS = 260°–280° and showing inter-annual variations in the magnitude and timing due to long term effects of the Martian Year 34 Global Dust Storm. We provide a rough estimate of projected hydrogen escape of 3.2 × 109 cm−2 s−1 associated to these plumes, adding further evidence of the key role played by the perihelion season in the long term evolution of the planet's climate.
Citation
Brines, A.; López-Valverde, M.A.; Funke, B.; González-Galindo, F.; Aoki, S.; Villanueva, G.L.; Holmes, J.A.; Belyaev, D.A.; Liuzzi, G.; Thomas, I.R.; Erwin, J.T.; Grabowski, U.; Forget, F.; Lopez-Moreno, J.J.; Rodriguez-Gomez, J.; Daerden, F.; Trompet, L.; Ristic, B.; Patel, M.R.; Bellucci, G.; Vandaele, A.C. (2024). Strong Localized Pumping of Water Vapor to High Altitudes on Mars During the Perihelion Season. , Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 51, Issue 14, e2023GL107224, DOI: 10.1029/2023GL107224.Identifiers
url:
Type
Article
Peer-Review
Yes
Language
eng