The climatology of carbon monoxide on Mars as observed by NOMAD nadir-geometry observations
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Authors
Smith, M.D.
Daerden, F.
Neary, L.
Khayat, A.S.J.
Holmes, J.A.
Patel, M.R.
Villanueva, G.
Liuzzi, G.
Thomas, I.R.
Ristic, B.
Bellucci, G.
Lopez-Moreno, J.J.
Vandaele, A.C.
Discipline
Physical sciences
Audience
Scientific
Date
2021Metadata
Show full item recordDescription
More than a full Martian year of observations have now been made by the Nadir Occultation for MArs Discovery (NOMAD) instrument suite on-board the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. Radiative transfer modeling of NOMAD observations taken in the nadir geometry enable the seasonal and global-scale variations of carbon monoxide gas in the Martian atmosphere to be characterized. These retrievals show the column-averaged volume mixing ratio of carbon monoxide to be about 800 ppmv, with significant variations at high latitudes caused by the condensation and sublimation of the background CO2 gas. Near summer solstice in each hemisphere, the CO volume mixing ratio falls to 400 ppmv in the south and 600 ppmv in the north. At low latitudes, carbon monoxide volume mixing ratio inversely follows the annual cycle of surface pressure. Comparison of our retrieved CO volume mixing ratio against that computed by the GEM-Mars general circulation model reveals a good match in their respective seasonal and spatial trends, and can provide insight into the physical processes that control the distribution of CO gas in the current Martian atmosphere.
Citation
Smith, M.D.; Daerden, F.; Neary, L.; Khayat, A.S.J.; Holmes, J.A.; Patel, M.R.; Villanueva, G.; Liuzzi, G.; Thomas, I.R.; Ristic, B.; Bellucci, G.; Lopez-Moreno, J.J.; Vandaele, A.C. (2021). The climatology of carbon monoxide on Mars as observed by NOMAD nadir-geometry observations. , Icarus, Vol. 362, A114404, DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2021.114404.Identifiers
Type
Article
Peer-Review
Yes
Language
eng