Mars water-ice clouds and precipitation
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Authors
Whiteway, J.A.
Komguem, L.
Dickinson, C.
Cook, C.
Illnicki, M.
Seabrook, J.
Popovici, V.
Duck, T.J.
Davy, R.
Taylor, P.A.
Pathak, J.
Fisher, D.
Carswell, A.I.
Daly, M.
Hipkin, V.
Zent, A.P.
Hecht, M.H.
Wood, S.E.
Tamppari, L.K.
Renno, N.
Moores, J.E.
Lemmon, M.T.
Daerden, F.
Smith, P.H.
Discipline
Physical sciences
Subject
ice
water
ice
Mars
precipitation (climatology)
summer
air temperature
article
astronomy
atmosphere
cloud
crystal
dust
light
measurement
night
precipitation
priority journal
summer
surface property
thermodynamics
water vapor
Atmosphere
Extraterrestrial Environment
Ice
Mars
Spacecraft
Steam
Temperature
Time Factors
Audience
Scientific
Date
2009Metadata
Show full item recordDescription
The light detection and ranging instrument on the Phoenix mission observed water-ice clouds in the atmosphere of Mars that were similar to cirrus clouds on Earth. Fall streaks in the cloud structure traced the precipitation of ice crystals toward the ground. Measurements of atmospheric dust indicated that the planetary boundary layer (PBL) on Mars was well mixed, up to heights of around 4 kilometers, by the summer daytime turbulence and convection. The water-ice clouds were detected at the top of the PBL and near the ground each night in late summer after the air temperature started decreasing. The interpretation is that water vapor mixed upward by daytime turbulence and convection forms ice crystal clouds at night that precipitate back toward the surface.
Citation
Whiteway, J.A.; Komguem, L.; Dickinson, C.; Cook, C.; Illnicki, M.; Seabrook, J.; Popovici, V.; Duck, T.J.; Davy, R.; Taylor, P.A.; Pathak, J.; Fisher, D.; Carswell, A.I.; Daly, M.; Hipkin, V.; Zent, A.P.; Hecht, M.H.; Wood, S.E.; Tamppari, L.K.; Renno, N.; Moores, J.E.; Lemmon, M.T.; Daerden, F.; Smith, P.H. (2009). Mars water-ice clouds and precipitation. , Science, Vol. 325, Issue 5936, 68-70, DOI: 10.1126/science.1172344.Identifiers
scopus: 2-s2.0-67650021346
Type
Article
Peer-Review
Yes
Language
eng