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2021

Title: Simulation of Martian Dust Effects on Polar CO<SUB>2</SUB> Ice Caps and Atmospheric Circulation Using the MarsWRF Model
Authors: Zhao, Yang; Zhong, Lei; Yuan, Renming; Zhao, Chun; Li, Rui; Wang, Yu; Lian, Yuan; Richardson, Mark
Affiliation: AA(School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China), AB(School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology, Hefei, China; Frontiers Science Center for Planetary Exploration and Emerging Technologies, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China), AC(School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China; Frontiers Science Center for Planetary Exploration and Emerging Technologies, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China), AD(School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology, Hefei, China; Frontiers Science Center for Planetary Exploration and Emerging Technologies, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China), AE(School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology, Hefei, China; Frontiers Science Center for Planetary Exploration and Emerging Technologies, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China), AF(School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology, Hefei, China; Frontiers Science Center for Planetary Exploration and Emerging Technologies, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China), AG(Aeolis Research, Chandler, AZ USA), AH(Aeolis Research, Chandler, AZ USA)
Journal: Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Volume 126, Issue 12, article id. e06937.
Publication Date: Dec 2021
Origin: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Abstract Copyright: 2021. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JE006937
Bibliographic Code: 2021JGRE..12606937Z
Abstract: Martian dust plays an important role in modulating climate. However, the effects of dust on polar CO<SUB>2</SUB> ice caps, atmospheric circulation processes and the relationship between them are not yet clear. In this study, a Mars general circulation model (MarsWRF) was applied to investigate the impacts of the magnitude and timing of Martian dust storms on the spatiotemporal characteristics of polar CO<SUB>2</SUB> ice caps and atmospheric circulation. The results show that dust can inhibit the sublimation of southern CO<SUB>2</SUB> ice through the radiation effect. Under the "High Dust" scenario, the ice edge can extend up to 5° more equatorward than that under the "Standard" scenario around Ls = 220°. The extent of northern CO<SUB>2</SUB> ice cap is hardly affected by dust because the impacts induced by dust mainly appear north of 80°N. By shifting the timing of maximum dust loading during the dust season, the "Early Dust" scenario inhibits the sublimation of the southern ice cap, while the "Late Dust" scenario accelerates the sublimation process. In addition, the variations in dust loading strength can lead to changes in three near-surface wind belts, which are related to intensified Hardly circulation. The appearance of the warming vortex under the "Early Dust" scenario is delayed, and its intensity is 60 K lower than that observed in the "High Dust" and "Late Dust" scenarios. When dust loading increases, the northern CO<SUB>2</SUB> condensation process in the Western Hemisphere accelerates, which is due to the increased pole-to-equator temperature gradient and the increased meridional wind speed.
Title: Seasonal seismic activity on Mars
Authors: Knapmeyer, M.; Stähler, S. C.; Daubar, I.; Forget, F.; Spiga, A.; Pierron, T.; van Driel, M.; Banfield, D.; Hauber, E.; Grott, M.; Müller, N.; Perrin, C.; Jacob, A.; Lucas, A.; Knapmeyer-Endrun, B.; Newman, C.; Panning, M. P.; Weber, R. C.; Calef, F. J.; Böse, M.; Ceylan, S.; Charalambous, C.; Clinton, J.; Dahmen, N.; Giardini, D.; Horleston, A.; Kawamura, T.; Khan, A.; Mainsant, G.; Plasman, M.; Lemmon, M.; Lorenz, R.; Pike, W. T.; Scholz, J.-R.; Lognonné, P.; Banerdt, B.
Affiliation: AA(Institute of Planetary Research, DLR, Rutherfordstr. 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany), AB(Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zürich, Sonneggstrasse 5, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland), AC(Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Campus Box 1846, Providence, RI 02912-1846, USA), AD(Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique/Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (LMD/IPSL), Sorbonne Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), École Polytechnique, École Normale Supérieure, France), AE(Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique/Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (LMD/IPSL), Sorbonne Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), École Polytechnique, École Normale Supérieure, France), AF(Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique/Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (LMD/IPSL), Sorbonne Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), École Polytechnique, École Normale Supérieure, France), AG(Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zürich, Sonneggstrasse 5, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland), AH(Cornell University, Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA), AI(Institute of Planetary Research, DLR, Rutherfordstr. 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany), AJ(Institute of Planetary Research, DLR, Rutherfordstr. 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany), AK(Institute of Planetary Research, DLR, Rutherfordstr. 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany), AL(Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique, UMR6112, OSUNA UMS3271, Univ. Nantes, Univ. Angers, CNRS, 2 rue de la Houssinière, BP 92208, 44322 Nantes Cedex 3, France), AM(Université de Paris, Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS, F-75005 Paris, France), AN(Université de Paris, Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS, F-75005 Paris, France), AO(Bensberg Observatory, University of Cologne, Vinzenz-Pallotti-Str. 26, 51429 Bergisch Gladbach, Germany), AP(Aeolis Research, 333 N Dobson Road, Unit 5, Chandler, AZ 85224-4412, USA), AQ(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., M/S 183-301, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA), AR(NASA MSFC, NSSTC Mail Code ST13, 320 Sparkman Drive, Huntsville, AL 35805, USA), AS(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., M/S 183-301, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA), AT(Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zürich, Sonneggstrasse 5, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland), AU(Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zürich, Sonneggstrasse 5, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland), AV(Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom), AW(Swiss Seismological Service (SED), ETH Zurich, Sonneggstr. 5, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland), AX(Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zürich, Sonneggstrasse 5, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland), AY(Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zürich, Sonneggstrasse 5, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland), AZ(School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Queens Road, Bristol BS8 1RJ, United Kingdom), BA(Université de Paris, Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS, F-75005 Paris, France), BB(Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zürich, Sonneggstrasse 5, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland), BC(Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace SUPAERO, 10 Avenue Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France), BD(Université de Paris, Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS, F-75005 Paris, France), BE(Space Science Institute, 4765 Walnut Street, Suite B, Boulder, CO 80301, USA), BF(Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA), BG(Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom), BH(Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 3, 37077 Göttingen, Germany), BI(Université de Paris, Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS, F-75005 Paris, France), BJ(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., M/S 183-301, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA)
Journal: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Volume 576, article id. 117171.
Publication Date: Dec 2021
Origin: Elsevier BV
Keywords: Mars, Elysium Planitia, InSight, seasonal seismic activity, Phobos
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2021 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2021.117171
Bibliographic Code: 2021E&PSL.57617171K
Abstract: The rate of occurrence of High Frequency (HF) marsquakes, as recorded by InSight at Homestead Hollow, Elysium Planitia, increased after about L<SUB>S</SUB> =33<SUP>∘</SUP>, and ceased almost completely by L<SUB>S</SUB> =187<SUP>∘</SUP>, following an apparently seasonal variation with a peak rate near aphelion. We define seismic rate models based on the declination of the Sun, annual solar tides, and the annual CO<SUB>2</SUB> cycle as measured by atmospheric pressure. Evaluation of Akaike weights and evidence ratios shows that the declination of the Sun is the most likely, and the CO<SUB>2</SUB> cycle the least likely driver of this seismic activity, although the discrimination is weak, and the occurrence of a few events in August 2020 is in favor for a triggering by CO<SUB>2</SUB> ice load. We also show that no periodicity related to Phobos' orbit is present in the HF event sequence. Event rate forecasts are presented to allow further discrimination of candidate mechanisms from future observations.
Title: Constraints on Emission Source Locations of Methane Detected by Mars Science Laboratory
Authors: Viúdez-Moreiras, D.; Richardson, M. I.; Newman, C. E.
Affiliation: AA(Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA), Madrid, Spain), AB(Aeolis Research, Chandler, AZ USA), AC(Aeolis Research, Chandler, AZ USA)
Journal: Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Volume 126, Issue 12, article id. e06958.
Publication Date: Dec 2021
Origin: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Keywords: atmospheric chemistry, methane on Mars, Mars Science Laboratory, Trace Gas Orbiter Exomars
Abstract Copyright: 2021 The Authors.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JE006958
Bibliographic Code: 2021JGRE..12606958V
Abstract: The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover has detected both methane spikes and variable background methane abundance in recent years in Gale Crater, Mars. While methane spikes have been attributed to a hypothetical local or regional source emission, the background measurements acquired during the nighttime were postulated to represent the global methane abundance on Mars. However, recent high-accuracy observations by instruments on the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) in several locations around the planet have not detected methane at all, apparently contradicting the SAM measurements. This paper analyzes the constraints that TGO and MSL impose on the hypothetical location of the emission source of methane responsible for the levels detected by SAM. The numerical simulations presented here indicate that not only the spikes but also the background measurements performed by MSL must result from localized emissions, specifically in the northwest interior of Gale Crater. Other simulated emission source locations at a greater distance from MSL, even if still within Gale Crater, are difficult to reconcile with current observations by MSL and TGO. Confirming previous studies, these results therefore point either to an improbable scenario, in which the rover has landed close to one of only a few localized emission sources on Mars, or to a problematic scenario, in which an unknown loss mechanism must be invoked that is able to destroy methane orders of magnitude faster than predicted by standard gas chemistry or to a weighted action between both scenarios.
Title: Dust and water ice variability and their interaction pattern during Martian low-dust and high-dust periods
Authors: Guha, Bijay Kumar; Panda, Jagabandhu; Newman, Claire E.; Richardson, Mark I.
Affiliation: AA(Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Odisha, 769008, India), AB(Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Odisha, 769008, India), AC(Aeolis Research, 333 N, Dobson Road, Unit 5, Chandler, AZ, 85224, USA), AD(Aeolis Research, 333 N, Dobson Road, Unit 5, Chandler, AZ, 85224, USA)
Journal: Planetary and Space Science, Volume 209, article id. 105357.
Publication Date: Dec 2021
Origin: Elsevier BV
Keywords: Mars atmosphere, Dust, Water ice, MCS, MarsWRF
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pss.2021.105357
Bibliographic Code: 2021P&SS..20905357G
Abstract: Analysis of dust and water ice variation is carried out using observations from the Mars Climate Sounder (MCS), which includes the data for six years (during Martian years 29-34). This study only used the nighttime observations, as these profiles extend closer to the surface compared to the daytime. The correlation between dust opacity and water ice opacity is found to switch sign between the low-dust northern spring and summer (L<SUB>S</SUB> = 0°-180°) and high-dust southern spring and summer seasons (L<SUB>S</SUB> = 180°-360°). Density-scaled opacity profiles show the correlation between dust and water ice variability over the southern hemisphere and the tropics, which alters between 20 and 40 km altitudes. The positive correlation during the low-dust period over the latitudes 40-80°S is mainly controlled by the water ice cycle in the south polar hood clouds. Whereas the water ice cycle within the tropical cloud belt (TCB) serves as a primary controlling factor, and the presence of atmospheric dust prevails only in its formation stage within the latitudes -20 - 40°N. During the high-dust period, at southern latitudes, significant dust lifting and the associated temperature change are found to be the reason for the strong negative correlation with ice clouds. And in tropical latitudes, the significant positive relationship at relatively high altitudes (∼40 km) is possibly due to the presence of thin or haze clouds. The global dust storm occurrence only modulates the correlation behavior during the high-dust period, and the influence is seen above ∼40 km altitude that indicates an enhanced vertical advection sustained till late northern winter. Based on analysis of observational data and simulations with the MarsWRF model, it is found that the difference in correlation behavior between low and high-dust seasons could be explained from the variations in the planetary boundary layer height. Moreover, the dust and water ice interaction pattern has a prominent seasonal variation that is influenced by the water ice cycle, dust cycle, or the dust-ice microphysical relationship. It also has an altitudinal dependency, which changes between low-dust, high-dust, or global dust storm scenarios.
Title: Lander and rover histories of dust accumulation on and removal from solar arrays on Mars
Authors: Lorenz, Ralph D.; Martínez, German M.; Spiga, Aymeric; Vicente-Retortillo, Alvaro; Newman, Claire E.; Murdoch, Naomi; Forget, Francois; Millour, Ehouarn; Pierron, Thomas
Affiliation: AA(Space Exploration Sector, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, 20723, USA), AB(Lunar and Planetary Institute, Universities Space Research Association, Houston, TX, USA), AC(Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique/IPSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, Ecole Polytechnique, 75005, Paris, France), AD(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), AE(Aeolis Research, Chandler, AZ, USA), AF(Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO), Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France), AG(Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique/IPSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, Ecole Polytechnique, 75005, Paris, France), AH(Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique/IPSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, Ecole Polytechnique, 75005, Paris, France), AI(Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique/IPSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, Ecole Polytechnique, 75005, Paris, France)
Journal: Planetary and Space Science, Volume 207, article id. 105337.
Publication Date: Nov 2021
Origin: Elsevier BV
Keywords: Solar power, Dust, Dust devils, Mars, Boundary layer meteorology
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2021 The Authors
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pss.2021.105337
Bibliographic Code: 2021P&SS..20705337L
Abstract: The degradation in electrical output of solar arrays on Mars landers and rovers is reviewed. A loss of 0.2% per Sol is typical, although observed rates of decrease in 'dust factor' vary between 0.05% and 2% per Sol. 0.2%/Sol has been observed throughout the first 800 Sols of the ongoing InSight mission, as well as the shorter Mars Pathfinder and Phoenix missions. This rate was also evident for much of the Spirit and Opportunity missions, but the degradation there was episodically reversed by cleaning events due to dust devils and gusts. The enduring success of those rover missions may have given an impression of the long-term viability of solar power on the Martian surface that is not globally-applicable: the occurrence of cleaning events with an operationally-useful frequency seems contingent upon local meteorological circumstances. The conditions for significant cleaning events have apparently not been realized at the InSight landing site, where, notably, dust devils have not been detected in imaging. Optical obscuration by dust deposition and removal has also been observed by ultraviolet sensors on Curiosity, with a similar (but slightly higher) degradation rate. The observations are compared with global circulation model (GCM) results: these predict a geographically somewhat uniform dust deposition rate, while there is some indication that the locations where cleaning events were more frequent may be associated with weaker background winds and a deeper planetary boundary layer. The conventional Dust Devil Activity metric in GCMs does not effectively predict the different dust histories.
Title: Interannual, Seasonal and Regional Variations in the Martian Convective Boundary Layer Derived From GCM Simulations With a Semi-Interactive Dust Transport Model
Authors: Senel, Cem Berk; Temel, Orkun; Lee, Christopher; Newman, Claire E.; Mischna, Michael A.; Muñoz-Esparza, Domingo; Sert, Hakan; Karatekin, Özgür
Affiliation: AA(Royal Observatory of Belgium, Reference Systems and Planetology, Brussels, Belgium), AB(Royal Observatory of Belgium, Reference Systems and Planetology, Brussels, Belgium; KU Leuven, Institute of Astronomy, Leuven, Belgium), AC(Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada; Aeolis Research, Pasadena, CA USA), AD(Aeolis Research, Pasadena, CA USA), AE(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA), AF(National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO USA), AG(Royal Observatory of Belgium, Reference Systems and Planetology, Brussels, Belgium), AH(Royal Observatory of Belgium, Reference Systems and Planetology, Brussels, Belgium)
Journal: Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Volume 126, Issue 10, article id. e06965.
Publication Date: Oct 2021
Origin: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Keywords: dust transport, global circulation modeling, Martian convective boundary layer, turbulence
Abstract Copyright: 2021. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JE006965
Bibliographic Code: 2021JGRE..12606965S
Abstract: We present interannual, seasonal, and regional variations in the daytime Martian convective boundary layer (CBL). Martian CBL meteorology is driven both by the effect of diurnal and seasonal cycles as well as complex Martian topography. One of the most important components of the Martian atmosphere is its dust cycle. Here, we develop a novel semi-interactive dust transport model within the MarsWRF framework, in which the dust is lifted, advected by model winds, mixed, and allowed to sediment, but is then scaled to match two-dimensional maps of the observed daily column-integrated dust opacity. This allows the vertical dust distribution and associated dust radiative heating to be controlled by model processes, while the horizontal dust distribution is constrained to follow observations. We report the impact of the dust cycle on Martian boundary layer meteorology. Enhanced dust transport lowers the global net surface heating rates, decreasing the turbulent mixing in CBL to virtually zero (within the dust storm season) and, enhances the wind shear on average by almost 50%. As a superposition of both impacts, during global dust storms (GDS) in Mars Year (MY) 25 and 34, we find that long-lasting extremely shallow daytime boundary layers can globally form as shallow as 0.5 km (but not for the less intense GDS in MY 28), unlike the 9 km deep and highly turbulent CBL formation at GDS onset and decay. Based on our GCM results, strong CBL suppression lasts as long as approximately 67 and 57 sols during GDS events in MY 25 and 34.
Title: Large Eddy Simulations of the Dusty Martian Convective Boundary Layer With MarsWRF
Authors: Wu, Zhaopeng; Richardson, Mark I.; Zhang, Xi; Cui, Jun; Heavens, Nicholas G.; Lee, Christopher; Li, Tao; Lian, Yuan; Newman, Claire E.; Soto, Alejandro; Temel, Orkun; Toigo, Anthony D.; Witek, Marcin
Affiliation: AA(School of Atmospheric Sciences, Planetary Environmental and Astrobiological Research Laboratory, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology, Hefei, China), AB(Aeolis Research, Chandler, AZ USA), AC(Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA USA), AD(School of Atmospheric Sciences, Planetary Environmental and Astrobiological Research Laboratory, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology, Hefei, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Lunar and Deep Space Exploration, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Astronomical Observatories, Beijing, China), AE(Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO USA; Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College, London, UK), AF(Aeolis Research, Chandler, AZ USA; Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada), AG(CAS Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology, Hefei, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Geospace Environment, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China), AH(Aeolis Research, Chandler, AZ USA), AI(Aeolis Research, Chandler, AZ USA), AJ(Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO USA), AK(KU Leuven, Institute of Astronomy, Leuven, Belgium; Royal Observatory of Belgium, Brussels, Belgium), AL(Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA), AM(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA USA)
Journal: Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Volume 126, Issue 9, article id. e06752.
Publication Date: Sep 2021
Origin: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Keywords: Martian atmosphere, large eddy simulation, convective boundary layer, dust inhomogeneity, radiative-dynamical feedback
Abstract Copyright: 2021. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JE006752
Bibliographic Code: 2021JGRE..12606752W
Abstract: Large eddy simulation (LES) of the Martian convective boundary layer (CBL) with a Mars-adapted version of the Weather Research and Forecasting model is used to examine the impact of aerosol dust radiative-dynamical feedbacks on turbulent mixing. The LES is validated against spacecraft observations and prior modeling. To study dust redistribution by coherent dynamical structures within the CBL, two radiatively active dust distribution scenarios are used: one in which the dust distribution remains fixed and another in which dust is freely transported by CBL motions. In the fixed dust scenario, increasing atmospheric dust loading shades the surface from sunlight and weakens convection. However, a competing effect emerges in the free dust scenario, resulting from the lateral concentration of dust in updrafts. The resulting enhancement of dust radiative heating in upwelling plumes both generates horizontal thermal contrasts in the CBL and increases buoyancy production, jointly enhancing CBL convection. We define a dust inhomogeneity index (DII) to quantify how much dust is concentrated in upwelling plumes. If the DII is large enough, the destabilizing effect of lateral heating contrasts can exceed the stabilizing effect of surface shading such that the CBL depth increases with increasing dust optical depth. Thus, under certain combinations of total dust optical depth and the lateral inhomogeneity of dust, a positive feedback exists between dust optical depth, the vigor and depth of CBL mixing, and—to the extent that dust lifting is controlled by the depth and vigor of CBL mixing—the further lifting of dust from the surface.
Title: The Surface Energy Budget at Gale Crater During the First 2500 Sols of the Mars Science Laboratory Mission
Authors: Martínez, G. M.; Vicente-Retortillo, A.; Vasavada, A. R.; Newman, C. E.; Fischer, E.; Rennó, N. O.; Savijärvi, H.; de la Torre, M.; Ordóñez-Etxeberria, I.; Lemmon, M. T.; Guzewich, S. D.; McConnochie, T. H.; Sebastián, E.; Hueso, R.; Sánchez-Lavega, A.
Affiliation: AA(Lunar and Planetary Institute, Universities Space Research Association, Houston, TX USA; Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI USA), AB(Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI USA; Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), AC(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA), AD(Aeolis Research, Chandler, AZ USA), AE(Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI USA), AF(Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI USA), AG(Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research / Physics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland), AH(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA), AI(Universidad del País Vasco, Bilbao, Spain; Planetario de Pamplona, Pamplona, Spain), AJ(Space Science Institute, College Station, TX USA), AK(NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center, Greenbelt, MD USA), AL(Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD USA), AM(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), AN(Universidad del País Vasco, Bilbao, Spain), AO(Universidad del País Vasco, Bilbao, Spain)
Journal: Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Volume 126, Issue 9, article id. e06804.
Publication Date: Sep 2021
Origin: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Keywords: Mars, Mars Science Laboratory, surface energy budget, thermal Forcing, solar energy, REMS
Abstract Copyright: 2021. The Authors.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JE006804
Bibliographic Code: 2021JGRE..12606804M
Abstract: We use in situ environmental measurements by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission to obtain the surface energy budget (SEB) across Curiosity's traverse during the first 2500 sols of the mission. This includes values of the downwelling shortwave solar radiation, the upwelling solar radiation reflected by the surface, the downwelling longwave radiation from the atmosphere, the upwelling longwave radiation emitted by the surface, the sensible heat flux associated with turbulent motions, and the latent heat flux associated with water phase changes. We then analyze their temporal variation on different timescales and relate this to the mechanisms causing these variations. Through its Rover Environmental Monitoring Station, MSL allows for a more accurate determination of the SEB than its predecessors on Mars. Moreover, the unprecedented duration, cadence, and frequency of MSL environmental observations allow for analyses of the SEB from diurnal to interannual timescales. The results presented in this article can be used to evaluate the consistency with predictions from atmospheric numerical models, to validate aerosol radiative properties under a range of dust conditions, to understand the energy available for solar-powered missions, and to enable comparisons with measurements of the SEB by the Perseverance rover at Jezero crater.
Title: Science Goals and Objectives for the Dragonfly Titan Rotorcraft Relocatable Lander
Authors: Barnes, Jason W.; Turtle, Elizabeth P.; Trainer, Melissa G.; Lorenz, Ralph D.; MacKenzie, Shannon M.; Brinckerhoff, William B.; Cable, Morgan L.; Ernst, Carolyn M.; Freissinet, Caroline; Hand, Kevin P.; Hayes, Alexander G.; Hörst, Sarah M.; Johnson, Jeffrey R.; Karkoschka, Erich; Lawrence, David J.; Le Gall, Alice; Lora, Juan M.; McKay, Christopher P.; Miller, Richard S.; Murchie, Scott L.; Neish, Catherine D.; Newman, Claire E.; Núñez, Jorge; Panning, Mark P.; Parsons, Ann M.; Peplowski, Patrick N.; Quick, Lynnae C.; Radebaugh, Jani; Rafkin, Scot C. R.; Shiraishi, Hiroaki; Soderblom, Jason M.; Sotzen, Kristin S.; Stickle, Angela M.; Stofan, Ellen R.; Szopa, Cyril; Tokano, Tetsuya; Wagner, Thomas; Wilson, Colin; Yingst, R. Aileen; Zacny, Kris; Stähler, Simon C.
Affiliation: AA(University of Idaho, Department of Physics, Moscow, ID 83844-0903, USA;), AB(Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Space Exploration Sector, Laurel, MD 20723, USA), AC(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Mail Code 690, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA), AD(Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Space Exploration Sector, Laurel, MD 20723, USA;), AE(Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Space Exploration Sector, Laurel, MD 20723, USA;), AF(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Mail Code 690, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA), AG(NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91126, USA;), AH(Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Space Exploration Sector, Laurel, MD 20723, USA;), AI(LATMOS/IPSL, CNRS, Guyancourt, F-78280, France;), AJ(NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91126, USA;), AK(Cornell University, Department of Astronomy, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA), AL(The Johns Hopkins University, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA;), AM(Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Space Exploration Sector, Laurel, MD 20723, USA), AN(Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 84721, USA;), AO(Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Space Exploration Sector, Laurel, MD 20723, USA;), AP(LATMOS/IPSL, UVSQ Université Paris-Saclay, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, France; Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France), AQ(Yale University, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, New Haven, CT 06511, USA;), AR(NASA Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA, USA), AS(Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Space Exploration Sector, Laurel, MD 20723, USA;), AT(Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Space Exploration Sector, Laurel, MD 20723, USA), AU(Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA; The University of Western Ontario, Department of Earth Sciences, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada;), AV(Aeolis Research, Pasadena, CA 91101, USA), AW(Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Space Exploration Sector, Laurel, MD 20723, USA), AX(NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91126, USA), AY(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Mail Code 690, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA), AZ(Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Space Exploration Sector, Laurel, MD 20723, USA), BA(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Mail Code 690, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA;), BB(Brigham Young University, Department of Geological Sciences, Provo, UT 84602, USA), BC(Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80503, USA), BD(Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara, 252-5210, Japan), BE(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA;), BF(Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Space Exploration Sector, Laurel, MD 20723, USA;), BG(Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Space Exploration Sector, Laurel, MD 20723, USA), BH(National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC 20560, USA), BI(LATMOS/IPSL, CNRS, Guyancourt, F-78280, France), BJ(Universität zu Köln, Institut für Geophysik und Meteorologie, Köln D-50923, Germany;), BK(NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA), BL(Oxford University, Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics, Oxford, OX1 3PU, UK), BM(Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA), BN(Honeybee Robotics, Pasadena, CA 91103, USA), BO(Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland)
Journal: The Planetary Science Journal, Volume 2, Issue 4, id.130, <NUMPAGES>18</NUMPAGES> pp.
Publication Date: Aug 2021
Origin: American Astronomical Society
Keywords: Titan, Pre-biotic astrochemistry, Astrobiology, Planetary atmospheres, Planetary surfaces, 2186, 2079, 74, 1244, 2113
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/abfdcf
Bibliographic Code: 2021PSJ.....2..130B
Abstract: NASA's Dragonfly mission will send a rotorcraft lander to the surface of Titan in the mid-2030s. Dragonfly's science themes include investigation of Titan's prebiotic chemistry, habitability, and potential chemical biosignatures from both water-based "life as we know it" (as might occur in the interior mantle ocean, potential cryovolcanic flows, and/or impact melt deposits) and potential "life, but not as we know it" that might use liquid hydrocarbons as a solvent (within Titan's lakes, seas, and/or aquifers). Consideration of both of these solvents simultaneously led to our initial landing site in Titan's equatorial dunes and interdunes to sample organic sediments and water ice, respectively. Ultimately, Dragonfly's traverse target is the 80 km diameter Selk Crater, at 7° N, where we seek previously liquid water that has mixed with surface organics. Our science goals include determining how far prebiotic chemistry has progressed on Titan and what molecules and elements might be available for such chemistry. We will also determine the role of Titan's tropical deserts in the global methane cycle. We will investigate the processes and processing rates that modify Titan's surface geology and constrain how and where organics and liquid water can mix on and within Titan. Importantly, we will search for chemical biosignatures indicative of past or extant biological processes. As such, Dragonfly, along with Perseverance, is the first NASA mission to explicitly incorporate the search for signs of life into its mission goals since the Viking landers in 1976.
Title: Gravity Wave Observations by the Mars Science Laboratory REMS Pressure Sensor and Comparison With Mesoscale Atmospheric Modeling With MarsWRF
Authors: Guzewich, Scott D.; de la Torre Juárez, Manuel; Newman, Claire E.; Mason, Emily; Smith, Michael D.; Miller, Nina; Khayat, Alain S. J.; Kahanpää, Henrik; Viúdez-Moreiras, Daniel; Richardson, Mark I.
Affiliation: AA(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD USA), AB(Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA), AC(Aeolis Research, Chandler, AZ USA), AD(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD USA; University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD USA; Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD USA), AE(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD USA), AF(University of Nevada Reno, Reno, NV USA), AG(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD USA; Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD USA; University of Maryland College Park, College Park, MD USA), AH(Aalto University School of Electrical Engineering, Espoo, Finland), AI(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain), AJ(Aeolis Research, Chandler, AZ USA)
Journal: Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Volume 126, Issue 8, article id. e06907.
Publication Date: Aug 2021
Origin: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Keywords: Mars, curiosity, gravity waves, mesoscale, REMS
Abstract Copyright: 2021. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JE006907
Bibliographic Code: 2021JGRE..12606907G
Abstract: Surface pressure measurements on Mars have revealed a wide variety of atmospheric phenomena. The Mars Science Laboratory Rover Environmental Monitoring Station pressure sensor data set is now the longest duration record of surface pressure on Mars. We use the first 2580 Martian sols, nearly 4 Mars years, of measurements to identify atmospheric pressure waves with periods of tens of minutes to hours using wavelet analysis on residual pressure after the tidal harmonics are removed. We find these waves have a clear diurnal cycle with strongest activity in the early morning and late evening and a seasonal cycle with the strongest waves in the second half of the martian year (L<SUB>s</SUB> = 180-360°). The strongest such waves of the entire mission occurred during the Mars Year 34 global dust storm. Comparable atmospheric waves are identified using atmospheric modeling with the MarsWRF general circulation model in a "nested" high spatial resolution mode. With the support of the modeling, we find these waves best fit the expected properties of inertia-gravity waves with horizontal wavelengths of O(100s) of km.
Title: Vortex-Dominated Aeolian Activity at InSight's Landing Site, Part 1: Multi-Instrument Observations, Analysis, and Implications
Authors: Charalambous, C.; McClean, J. B.; Baker, M.; Pike, W. T.; Golombek, M.; Lemmon, M.; Ansan, V.; Perrin, C.; Spiga, A.; Lorenz, R. D.; Banks, M. E.; Murdoch, N.; Rodriguez, S.; Weitz, C. M.; Grant, J. A.; Warner, N. H.; Garvin, J.; Daubar, I. J.; Hauber, E.; Stott, A. E.; Johnson, C. L.; Mittelholz, A.; Warren, T.; Navarro, S.; Sotomayor, L. M.; Maki, J.; Lucas, A.; Banfield, D.; Newman, C.; Viúdez-Moreiras, D.; Pla-García, J.; Lognonné, P.; Banerdt, W. B.
Affiliation: AA(Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London, London, UK), AB(Now at MIT Haystack Observatory, Westford, MA USA), AC(Morton K. Blaustein Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD USA), AD(Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London, London, UK), AE(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA), AF(Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO USA), AG(Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique, UMR 6112-CNRS, Université de Nantes, Nantes Cedex 3, France), AH(Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris, France), AI(Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique/Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace, Sorbonne Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, École Polytechnique, École Normalé Supérieure, Campus Pierre et Marie Curie BC99, Paris, France; Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France), AJ(Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA), AK(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD USA), AL(Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO), Toulouse, France), AM(Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique, UMR 6112-CNRS, Université de Nantes, Nantes Cedex 3, France), AN(Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ USA), AO(Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC USA), AP(Department of Geological Sciences, State University of New York at Geneseo, 1 College Circle, Geneseo, NY USA), AQ(Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA), AR(Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI USA), AS(German Aerospace Center, Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin, Germany), AT(Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London, London, UK), AU(Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC Canada; Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ USA), AV(Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland), AW(Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK), AX(Centro de Astrobiologíca (CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain), AY(Centro de Astrobiologíca (CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain), AZ(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA), BA(Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris, France), BB(Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY USA), BC(Aeolis Research, Chandler, AZ USA), BD(Centro de Astrobiologíca (CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain), BE(Centro de Astrobiologíca (CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain), BF(Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris, France), BG(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA)
Journal: Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Volume 126, Issue 6, article id. e06757.
Publication Date: Jun 2021
Origin: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Keywords: aeolian changes at the InSight landing site on Mars, convective vortices as a primary driver of particle motion, dust lifting and saltation, multi-instrument measurements constrain the timing and atmospheric conditions of aeolian changes, passing vortices lifting dust are correlated with magnetic signatures, surface creep, surface tracks
Abstract Copyright: 2021. The Authors.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JE006757
Bibliographic Code: 2021JGRE..12606757C
Abstract: We report the aeolian changes observed in situ by NASA's InSight lander during the first 400 sols of operations: Granule creep, saltation, dust removal, and the formation of dark surface tracks. Aeolian changes are infrequent and sporadic. However, on sols, when they do occur, they consistently appear between noon to 3 p.m., and are associated with the passage of convective vortices during periods of high vortex activity. Aeolian changes are more frequent at elevated locations, such as the top surfaces of rocks and lander footpads. InSight observed these changes using, for the first time, simultaneous in-situ and orbital imaging and high-frequency meteorological, seismological, and magnetic measurements. Seismometer measurements of ground acceleration constrain the timing and trajectory of convective vortex encounters, linking surface changes to source vortices. Magnetometer measurements show perturbations in magnetic field strength during the passage of convective vortices consistent with charged-particle motion. Detachment of sand-scale particles occurs when high background winds and vortex-induced turbulence provide a peak surface friction wind speed above the classic saltation fluid threshold. However, detachment of dust- and granule-scale particles also occurred when the surface friction wind speed remained below this threshold. This may be explained by local enhancement of the surface roughness and other effects described here and further studied in Part 2 (Baker et al., 2021). The lack of saltation and bright dust-coated surfaces at the InSight landing site implies surface stability and the onset of particle motion may be suppressed by dust "cushioning." This differentiates the InSight landing site from other areas on Mars that exhibit more aeolian activity.
Title: Titan: Earth-like on the Outside, Ocean World on the Inside
Authors: MacKenzie, Shannon M.; Birch, Samuel P. D.; Hörst, Sarah; Sotin, Christophe; Barth, Erika; Lora, Juan M.; Trainer, Melissa G.; Corlies, Paul; Malaska, Michael J.; Sciamma-O'Brien, Ella; Thelen, Alexander E.; Turtle, Elizabeth; Radebaugh, Jani; Hanley, Jennifer; Solomonidou, Anezina; Newman, Claire; Regoli, Leonardo; Rodriguez, Sébastien; Seignovert, Benôit; Hayes, Alexander G.; Journaux, Baptiste; Steckloff, Jordan; Nna-Mvondo, Delphine; Cornet, Thomas; Palmer, Maureen Y.; Lopes, Rosaly M. C.; Vinatier, Sandrine; Lorenz, Ralph; Nixon, Conor; Czaplinski, Ellen; Barnes, Jason W.; Sittler, Ed; Coates, Andrew
Affiliation: AA(Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA), AB(Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA), AC(Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University, USA), AD(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena CA, USA), AE(Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado, USA), AF(Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA), AG(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt MD, USA), AH(Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA), AI(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena CA, USA), AJ(NASA Ames Space Science and Astrobiology Division, Astrophysics Branch, USA), AK(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt MD, USA), AL(Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA), AM(Department of Geological Sciences, Brigham Young University, S-389 ESC Provo, UT 84602, USA), AN(Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, AZ, USA), AO(California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AP(Aeolis Research, 333 N. Dobson Road, Unit 5, Chandler, AZ 85224, USA), AQ(Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA), AR(Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, France), AS(Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique, Université de Nantes, Nantes, France), AT(Cornell University, Ithaca NY, USA), AU(University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA), AV(Planetary Science Institute, 1700 E. Fort Lowell Road, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ, USA), AW(University of Maryland Baltimore County, Center for Space Sciences and Technology, Baltimore, Maryland, USA), AX(Aurora Technology BV for European Space Agency (ESA), European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC), Villanueva de la Canada, Madrid, Spain), AY(Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, 1629 E. University Boulevard, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA), AZ(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena CA, USA), BA(LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, 5 place Jules Janssen, F-92195 Meudon, France), BB(Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA), BC(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt MD, USA), BD(Arkansas Center for Space and Planetary Sciences, University of Arkansas, USA), BE(Department of Physics, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA), BF(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt MD, USA), BG(Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, London, UK)
Journal: The Planetary Science Journal, Volume 2, Issue 3, id.112, <NUMPAGES>13</NUMPAGES> pp.
Publication Date: Jun 2021
Origin: American Astronomical Society
Keywords: Titan, Planetary science, Natural satellite surfaces, Planetary atmospheres, Planetary climates, 2186, 1255, 2208, 1244, 2184, Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics, Physics - Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/abf7c9
Bibliographic Code: 2021PSJ.....2..112M
Abstract: Thanks to the Cassini-Huygens mission, Titan, the pale orange dot of Pioneer and Voyager encounters, has been revealed to be a dynamic, hydrologically shaped, organic-rich ocean world offering unparalleled opportunities to explore prebiotic chemistry. And while Cassini-Huygens revolutionized our understanding of each of the three "layers" of Titan—the atmosphere, the surface, and the interior—we are only beginning to hypothesize how these realms interact. In this paper, we summarize the current state of Titan knowledge and discuss how future exploration of Titan would address some of the next decade's most compelling planetary science questions. We also demonstrate why exploring Titan, both with and beyond the Dragonfly New Frontiers mission, is a necessary and complementary component of an Ocean Worlds Program that seeks to understand whether habitable environments exist elsewhere in our solar system.
Title: Warm early Mars surface enabled by high-altitude water ice clouds
Authors: Kite, Edwin S.; Steele, Liam J.; Mischna, Michael A.; Richardson, Mark I.
Affiliation: AA(Department of the Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60615; ;), AB(Department of the Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60615;), AC(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109;), AD(Aeolis Research, Chandler, AZ 85224;)
Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 118, Issue 18, article id.e2101959118.
Publication Date: May 2021
Origin: National Academy of Sciences
Keywords: UAT:1007, planetary habitability, paleoclimate
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2101959118
Bibliographic Code: 2021PNAS..11801959K
Abstract: Mars is cold today but once had lakes. We evaluated the water ice cloud greenhouse hypothesis for warming early Mars. Our results reconcile previous discrepant results by showing that the cloud greenhouse provides strong warming if the surface has patchy surface H<SUB>2</SUB>O but not if there is very extensive surface H<SUB>2</SUB>O. In our model, arid, warm, stable climates emerge with surface H<SUB>2</SUB>O (and low clouds) only at locations much colder than average surface temperature. At locations horizontally distant from the surface cold traps, clouds are found only at high altitudes, which maximizes cloud warming. As this scenario is consistent with geologic data that suggest a warm, arid early Mars climate, our results support the cloud greenhouse hypothesis for warming early Mars.
Title: Vortex Dominated Aeolian Activity at InSight's Landing Site, Part 2: Local Meteorology, Transport Dynamics, and Model Analysis
Authors: Baker, M.; Newman, C.; Charalambous, C.; Golombek, M.; Spiga, A.; Banfield, D.; Lemmon, M.; Banks, M.; Lorenz, R.; Garvin, J.; Grant, J.; Lewis, K.; Ansan, V.; Warner, N.; Weitz, C.; Wilson, S.; Rodriguez, S.
Affiliation: AA(Center for Earth &amp; Planetary Studies, National Air &amp; Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC USA; The Morton K. Blaustein Department of Earth &amp; Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD USA), AB(Aeolis Research, Pasadena, CA USA), AC(Imperial College, London, UK), AD(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA), AE(Laboratoire de Meteorologie Dynamique, Paris, France), AF(Cornell Center for Astrophysics &amp; Planetary Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY USA), AG(Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO USA), AH(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD USA), AI(Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA), AJ(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD USA), AK(Center for Earth &amp; Planetary Studies, National Air &amp; Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC USA), AL(The Morton K. Blaustein Department of Earth &amp; Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD USA), AM(Laboratoire de Planétologie et de Géodynamique de Nantes, Nantes, France), AN(Department of Geological Sciences, SUNY Geneseo, Geneseo, NY USA), AO(Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ USA), AP(Center for Earth &amp; Planetary Studies, National Air &amp; Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC USA), AQ(Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France)
Journal: Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Volume 126, Issue 4, article id. e06514.
Publication Date: Apr 2021
Origin: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Keywords: aeolian sediment transport, Mars surface processes, threshold conditions, vortex dynamics
Abstract Copyright: 2020. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JE006514
Bibliographic Code: 2021JGRE..12606514B
Abstract: Geologic and climatic processes on modern day Mars are heavily influenced by aeolian surface activity, yet the relationship between atmospheric conditions and sediment mobilization is not well understood. The Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, and Heat Transport (InSight) spacecraft is uniquely able to address this issue, due to its joint imaging and continuous high frequency meteorological capabilities, which allow for direct comparison between surface activity and atmospheric conditions. Since landing in the volcanic plains of Elysium Planitia, InSight's camera's have recorded intermittent, small scale surface changes, including removal of fine material on the lander footpad, linear tracks and localized surface darkening caused by minor dust removal, and surface creep of granules, as presented in Part 1 (Charalambous et al., 2021, this issue). Surface activity is found to correlate well with the timing of abrupt pressure drops (∆P ∼ 1-9 Pa) and transient wind gusts (v ∼ 14-31 m/s) associated with convective vortex passage. Here we identify the major erosive forces acting on surface particles during these events, including the vertical pressure gradient force at the vortex core and the drag force generated by quickly rotating tangential winds. Orbital and ground truth data suggest that aeolian activity at InSight's landing site is sporadic under modern climatic conditions. Ongoing aeolian surface modifcation is driven primarily by turbulent vortices that sporadically lift dust and redistribute coarser sediment (i.e., sand and granules) but do not aid in the development of organized aeolian bedforms. Surface erosion is localized within the path these vortices take across the surface which is controlled by seasonally reversing background circulation patterns.
Title: The Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer, MEDA. A Suite of Environmental Sensors for the Mars 2020 Mission
Authors: Rodriguez-Manfredi, J. A.; de la Torre Juárez, M.; Alonso, A.; Apéstigue, V.; Arruego, I.; Atienza, T.; Banfield, D.; Boland, J.; Carrera, M. A.; Castañer, L.; Ceballos, J.; Chen-Chen, H.; Cobos, A.; Conrad, P. G.; Cordoba, E.; del Río-Gaztelurrutia, T.; de Vicente-Retortillo, A.; Domínguez-Pumar, M.; Espejo, S.; Fairen, A. G.; Fernández-Palma, A.; Ferrándiz, R.; Ferri, F.; Fischer, E.; García-Manchado, A.; García-Villadangos, M.; Genzer, M.; Giménez, S.; Gómez-Elvira, J.; Gómez, F.; Guzewich, S. D.; Harri, A.-M.; Hernández, C. D.; Hieta, M.; Hueso, R.; Jaakonaho, I.; Jiménez, J. J.; Jiménez, V.; Larman, A.; Leiter, R.; Lepinette, A.; Lemmon, M. T.; López, G.; Madsen, S. N.; Mäkinen, T.; Marín, M.; Martín-Soler, J.; Martínez, G.; Molina, A.; Mora-Sotomayor, L.; Moreno-Álvarez, J. F.; Navarro, S.; Newman, C. E.; Ortega, C.; Parrondo, M. C.; Peinado, V.; Peña, A.; Pérez-Grande, I.; Pérez-Hoyos, S.; Pla-García, J.; Polkko, J.; Postigo, M.; Prieto-Ballesteros, O.; Rafkin, S. C. R.; Ramos, M.; Richardson, M. I.; Romeral, J.; Romero, C.; Runyon, K. D.; Saiz-Lopez, A.; Sánchez-Lavega, A.; Sard, I.; Schofield, J. T.; Sebastian, E.; Smith, M. D.; Sullivan, R. J.; Tamppari, L. K.; Thompson, A. D.; Toledo, D.; Torrero, F.; Torres, J.; Urquí, R.; Velasco, T.; Viúdez-Moreiras, D.; Zurita, S.; MEDA Team
Affiliation: AA(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), AB(Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AC(CRISA-Airbus, Tres Cantos, Spain), AD(Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), Madrid, Spain), AE(Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), Madrid, Spain), AF(Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña, Barcelona, Spain), AG(Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA), AH(Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AI(Added-Value-Solutions, Elgoibar, Spain), AJ(Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña, Barcelona, Spain), AK(Instituto de Microelectrónica de Sevilla (US-CSIC), Seville, Spain), AL(Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU), Bilbao, Spain), AM(CRISA-Airbus, Tres Cantos, Spain), AN(Carnegie Institution, Washington, DC, USA), AO(Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AP(Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU), Bilbao, Spain), AQ(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), AR(Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña, Barcelona, Spain), AS(Instituto de Microelectrónica de Sevilla (US-CSIC), Seville, Spain), AT(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), AU(Added-Value-Solutions, Elgoibar, Spain), AV(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), AW(Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy), AX(University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA), AY(CRISA-Airbus, Tres Cantos, Spain), AZ(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), BA(Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland), BB(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), BC(Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), Madrid, Spain), BD(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), BE(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA), BF(Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland), BG(Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), BH(Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland), BI(Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU), Bilbao, Spain), BJ(Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland), BK(Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), Madrid, Spain), BL(Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña, Barcelona, Spain), BM(Added-Value-Solutions, Elgoibar, Spain), BN(Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), BO(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), BP(Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO, USA), BQ(Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña, Barcelona, Spain), BR(Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), BS(Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland), BT(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), BU(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), BV(Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX, USA), BW(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), BX(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), BY(CRISA-Airbus, Tres Cantos, Spain), BZ(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), CA(Aeolis Corporation, Sierra Madre, CA, USA), CB(Added-Value-Solutions, Elgoibar, Spain), CC(Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), Madrid, Spain), CD(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), CE(CRISA-Airbus, Tres Cantos, Spain), CF(Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain), CG(Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU), Bilbao, Spain), CH(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), CI(Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland), CJ(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), CK(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), CL(Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO, USA), CM(Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain), CN(Aeolis Corporation, Sierra Madre, CA, USA), CO(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), CP(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), CQ(John Hopkins APL, Laurel, MD, USA), CR(Dept. of Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate, Institute of Physical Chemistry Rocasolano, CSIC, Madrid, Spain), CS(Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU), Bilbao, Spain), CT(Added-Value-Solutions, Elgoibar, Spain), CU(Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), CV(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), CW(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA), CX(Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA), CY(Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), CZ(Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), DA(Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), Madrid, Spain), DB(CRISA-Airbus, Tres Cantos, Spain), DC(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), DD(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), DE(CRISA-Airbus, Tres Cantos, Spain), DF(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), DG(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), DH(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain; Carnegie Institution, Washington, DC, USA; Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland; Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO, USA; Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX, USA; Aeolis Corporation, Sierra Madre, CA, USA; Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO, USA; Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain; Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA; John Hopkins APL, Laurel, MD, USA; Dept. of Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate, Institute of Physical Chemistry Rocasolano, CSIC, Madrid, Spain; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA; CRISA-Airbus, Tres Cantos, Spain; Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), Madrid, Spain; Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña, Barcelona, Spain; Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA; Added-Value-Solutions, Elgoibar, Spain; Instituto de Microelectrónica de Sevilla (US-CSIC), Seville, Spain; Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU), Bilbao, Spain; Carnegie Institution, Washington, DC, USA; Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland; Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO, USA; Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX, USA; Aeolis Corporation, Sierra Madre, CA, USA; Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO, USA; Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain; Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA; John Hopkins APL, Laurel, MD, USA; Dept. of Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate, Institute of Physical Chemistry Rocasolano, CSIC, Madrid, Spain; CRISA-Airbus, Tres Cantos, Spain; Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), Madrid, Spain; Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña, Barcelona, Spain; Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA; Added-Value-Solutions, Elgoibar, Spain; Instituto de Microelectrónica de Sevilla (US-CSIC), Seville, Spain; Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU), Bilbao, Spain)
Journal: Space Science Reviews, Volume 217, Issue 3, article id.48.
Publication Date: Apr 2021
Origin: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Keywords: MEDA instrument, Mars2020, Perseverance, Instruments, Mars, Atmosphere, Pressure, Wind, Temperature, Surface temperature, Albedo, Dust, Clouds, UV, Thermal infrared, Radiation fluxes
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-021-00816-9
Bibliographic Code: 2021SSRv..217...48R
Abstract: NASA's Mars 2020 (M2020) rover mission includes a suite of sensors to monitor current environmental conditions near the surface of Mars and to constrain bulk aerosol properties from changes in atmospheric radiation at the surface. The Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) consists of a set of meteorological sensors including wind sensor, a barometer, a relative humidity sensor, a set of 5 thermocouples to measure atmospheric temperature at ∼1.5 m and ∼0.5 m above the surface, a set of thermopiles to characterize the thermal IR brightness temperatures of the surface and the lower atmosphere. MEDA adds a radiation and dust sensor to monitor the optical atmospheric properties that can be used to infer bulk aerosol physical properties such as particle size distribution, non-sphericity, and concentration. The MEDA package and its scientific purpose are described in this document as well as how it responded to the calibration tests and how it helps prepare for the human exploration of Mars. A comparison is also presented to previous environmental monitoring payloads landed on Mars on the Viking, Pathfinder, Phoenix, MSL, and InSight spacecraft.
Title: The whirlwinds of Elysium: A catalog and meteorological characteristics of "dust devil" vortices observed by InSight on Mars
Authors: Lorenz, Ralph D.; Spiga, Aymeric; Lognonné, Philippe; Plasman, Matthieu; Newman, Claire E.; Charalambous, Constantinos
Affiliation: AA(Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA), AB(Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (LMD/IPSL), Sorbonne Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, École Polytechnique, École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France; Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France), AC(Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Université de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France), AD(Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Université de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France), AE(Aeolis Research, 333 N Dobson Road, Unit 5, Chandler, AZ 85224-4412, USA), AF(Imperial College London, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom)
Journal: Icarus, Volume 355, article id. 114119.
Publication Date: Feb 2021
Origin: Elsevier BV
Keywords: Mars atmosphere, Convective vortices, Dust devils, Statistics
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2021 Elsevier Inc.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2020.114119
Bibliographic Code: 2021Icar..35514119L
Abstract: A catalog of convective vortex encounters recorded by InSight on the Martian surface is presented, through Sol 390 of the mission. The catalog summarizes key meteorological parameters such as wind speed and direction before the event, peak wind, the duration and magnitude of the pressure excursion, temperatures and solar array data where present. Additional seismic parameters are also provided on seismometer-detected ground acceleration. The catalog is intended as a resource for vortex population studies, and as an index for examining these meteorological events in detail and to assess possible geophysical (seismic or magnetic) signatures. Whereas it is difficult to evaluate 'anecdotal' results in small surveys, the large number of events (853 with a pressure drop exceeding 0.8 Pa) in this work permits robust statistical evaluation. For example, it is found that three times as many pressure profiles have slower onsets than decays than vice versa, indicating an asymmetry in the surface pressure field due to the tilted advection of the vortex by ambient wind. A vortex area fraction of 0.07% during the most active six hours of the day is deduced.
Title: Multi-model Meteorological and Aeolian Predictions for Mars 2020 and the Jezero Crater Region
Authors: Newman, C. E.; de la Torre Juárez, M.; Pla-García, J.; Wilson, R. J.; Lewis, S. R.; Neary, L.; Kahre, M. A.; Forget, F.; Spiga, A.; Richardson, M. I.; Daerden, F.; Bertrand, T.; Viúdez-Moreiras, D.; Sullivan, R.; Sánchez-Lavega, A.; Chide, B.; Rodriguez-Manfredi, J. A.
Affiliation: AA(Aeolis Research, Tucson, AZ, USA), AB(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 91001, Pasadena, CA, USA), AC(Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), 28850, Madrid, Spain; Space Science Institute, 80301, Boulder, CO, USA; Space Science Institute, 80301, Boulder, CO, USA), AD(Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA, USA), AE(The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK), AF(Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, Brussels, Belgium), AG(Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA, USA), AH(Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique/Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (LMD/IPSL), Sorbonne Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), École Polytechnique, École Normale Supérieure (ENS), 75005, Paris, France), AI(Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique/Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (LMD/IPSL), Sorbonne Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), École Polytechnique, École Normale Supérieure (ENS), 75005, Paris, France; Institut Universitaire de France, 75005, Paris, France; Institut Universitaire de France, 75005, Paris, France), AJ(Aeolis Research, Tucson, AZ, USA), AK(Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, Brussels, Belgium), AL(LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, 92195, Meudon, France; Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA, USA; Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA, USA), AM(Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), 28850, Madrid, Spain), AN(Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, Cornell University, 14853, Ithaca, NY, USA), AO(Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU), Bilbao, Spain), AP(Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE), Toulouse, France), AQ(Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), 28850, Madrid, Spain)
Journal: Space Science Reviews, Volume 217, Issue 1, article id.20.
Publication Date: Feb 2021
Origin: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Keywords: Mars, Meteorology, Aeolian, Atmosphere, Dust devils, Mars 2020, Jezero crater
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-020-00788-2
Bibliographic Code: 2021SSRv..217...20N
Abstract: Nine simulations are used to predict the meteorology and aeolian activity of the Mars 2020 landing site region. Predicted seasonal variations of pressure and surface and atmospheric temperature generally agree. Minimum and maximum pressure is predicted at Ls∼145<SUP>∘</SUP> and 250<SUP>∘</SUP>, respectively. Maximum and minimum surface and atmospheric temperature are predicted at Ls∼180<SUP>∘</SUP> and 270<SUP>∘</SUP>, respectively; i.e., are warmest at northern fall equinox not summer solstice. Daily pressure cycles vary more between simulations, possibly due to differences in atmospheric dust distributions. Jezero crater sits inside and close to the NW rim of the huge Isidis basin, whose daytime upslope (∼east-southeasterly) and nighttime downslope (∼northwesterly) winds are predicted to dominate except around summer solstice, when the global circulation produces more southerly wind directions. Wind predictions vary hugely, with annual maximum speeds varying from 11 to 19 ms-<SUP>1</SUP> and daily mean wind speeds peaking in the first half of summer for most simulations but in the second half of the year for two. Most simulations predict net annual sand transport toward the WNW, which is generally consistent with aeolian observations, and peak sand fluxes in the first half of summer, with the weakest fluxes around winter solstice due to opposition between the global circulation and daytime upslope winds. However, one simulation predicts transport toward the NW, while another predicts fluxes peaking later and transport toward the WSW. Vortex activity is predicted to peak in summer and dip around winter solstice, and to be greater than at InSight and much greater than in Gale crater.
Title: A Study of Daytime Convective Vortices and Turbulence in the Martian Planetary Boundary Layer Based on Half-a-Year of InSight Atmospheric Measurements and Large-Eddy Simulations
Authors: Spiga, A.; Murdoch, N.; Lorenz, R.; Forget, F.; Newman, C.; Rodriguez, S.; Pla-Garcia, J.; Moreiras, D. Viúdez; Banfield, D.; Perrin, C.; Mueller, N. T.; Lemmon, M.; Millour, E.; Banerdt, W. B.
Affiliation: AA(Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique/Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace (LMD/IPSL), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Sorbonne Université, Paris, France; Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France), AB(Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO), Toulouse, France), AC(Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA), AD(Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique/Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace (LMD/IPSL), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Sorbonne Université, Paris, France), AE(Aeolis Research, Chandler, AZ USA), AF(Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris, France), AG(Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain), AH(Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain), AI(Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY USA), AJ(Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris, France), AK(German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin, Germany), AL(Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO USA), AM(Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique/Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace (LMD/IPSL), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Sorbonne Université, Paris, France), AN(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA)
Journal: Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Volume 126, Issue 1, article id. e06511.
Publication Date: Jan 2021
Origin: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Keywords: Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics, Physics - Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics, Physics - Fluid Dynamics
Abstract Copyright: 2020. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JE006511
Bibliographic Code: 2021JGRE..12606511S
Abstract: Studying the atmospheric planetary boundary layer (PBL) is crucial to understand the climate of a planet. The meteorological measurements by the instruments onboard InSight at a latitude of 4.5°N make a unique rich data set to study the active turbulent dynamics of the daytime PBL on Mars. Here we use the high-sensitivity continuous pressure, wind, and temperature measurements in the first 400 sols of InSight operations (from northern late winter to midsummer) to analyze wind gusts, convective cells, and vortices in Mars' daytime PBL. We compare InSight measurements to turbulence-resolving large-eddy simulations (LES). The daytime PBL turbulence at the InSight landing site is very active, with clearly identified signatures of convective cells and a vast population of 6,000 recorded vortex encounters, adequately represented by a power law with a 3.4 exponent. While the daily variability of vortex encounters at InSight can be explained by the statistical nature of turbulence, the seasonal variability is positively correlated with ambient wind speed, which is supported by LES. However, wind gustiness is positively correlated to surface temperature rather than ambient wind speed and sensible heat flux, confirming the radiative control of the daytime Martian PBL; and fewer convective vortices are forming in LES when the background wind is doubled. Thus, the long-term seasonal variability of vortex encounters at the InSight landing site is mainly controlled by the advection of convective vortices by ambient wind speed. Typical tracks followed by vortices forming in the LES show a similar distribution in direction and length as orbital imagery.

2020

Title: Mars 2020 Mission Overview
Authors: Farley, Kenneth A.; Williford, Kenneth H.; Stack, Kathryn M.; Bhartia, Rohit; Chen, Al; de la Torre, Manuel; Hand, Kevin; Goreva, Yulia; Herd, Christopher D. K.; Hueso, Ricardo; Liu, Yang; Maki, Justin N.; Martinez, German; Moeller, Robert C.; Nelessen, Adam; Newman, Claire E.; Nunes, Daniel; Ponce, Adrian; Spanovich, Nicole; Willis, Peter A.; Beegle, Luther W.; Bell, James F.; Brown, Adrian J.; Hamran, Svein-Erik; Hurowitz, Joel A.; Maurice, Sylvestre; Paige, David A.; Rodriguez-Manfredi, Jose A.; Schulte, Mitch; Wiens, Roger C.
Affiliation: AA(Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AB(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AC(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AD(Photon Systems Inc., West Covina, CA, USA), AE(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AF(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AG(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AH(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AI(Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), AJ(Escuela de Ingeniería de Bilbao, Universidad del País Vasco, Bilbao, Spain), AK(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AL(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AM(Lunar and Planetary Institute/USRA, Houston, TX, USA), AN(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AO(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AP(Aeolis Research, Chandler, AZ, USA), AQ(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AR(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AS(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AT(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AU(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AV(School of Earth &amp; Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA), AW(Plancius Research, Severna Park, MD, USA), AX(Department of Technology Systems, University of Oslo, Kjeller, Norway), AY(Department of Geosciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA), AZ(Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, Toulouse, France), BA(Dept. of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA), BB(Centro de Astrobiologia (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), BC(Mars Exploration Program, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC, USA), BD(Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA)
Journal: Space Science Reviews, Volume 216, Issue 8, article id.142.
Publication Date: Dec 2020
Origin: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Keywords: Mars 2020 mission, Mars Sample Return, Mars rover, Astrobiology, Mars
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-020-00762-y
Bibliographic Code: 2020SSRv..216..142F
Abstract: The Mars 2020 mission will seek the signs of ancient life on Mars and will identify, prepare, document, and cache a set of samples for possible return to Earth by a follow-on mission. Mars 2020 and its Perseverance rover thus link and further two long-held goals in planetary science: a deep search for evidence of life in a habitable extraterrestrial environment, and the return of martian samples to Earth for analysis in terrestrial laboratories.
Title: Meteorological Predictions for Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Landing Site at Jezero Crater
Authors: Pla-García, Jorge; Rafkin, S. C. R.; Martinez, G. M.; Vicente-Retortillo, Á.; Newman, C. E.; Savijärvi, H.; de la Torre, M.; Rodriguez-Manfredi, J. A.; Gómez, F.; Molina, A.; Viúdez-Moreiras, D.; Harri, Ari-Matti
Affiliation: AA(Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain; Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO, USA; Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO, USA), AB(Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO, USA), AC(Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX, USA; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA), AD(Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA), AE(Aeolis Research, Chandler, AZ, USA), AF(Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research/Physics, University of Helsinki, Finland; Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland; Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland), AG(Jet Propulsion Laboratory/CalTech, Pasadena, CA, USA), AH(Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain), AI(Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain), AJ(Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain), AK(Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain), AL(Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland)
Journal: Space Science Reviews, Volume 216, Issue 8, article id.148.
Publication Date: Dec 2020
Origin: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Keywords: Mars, Atmosphere, Mars 2020, Perseverance
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-020-00763-x
Bibliographic Code: 2020SSRv..216..148P
Abstract: The Mars Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (MRAMS) and a nested simulation of the Mars Weather Research and Forecasting model (MarsWRF) are used to predict the local meteorological conditions at the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover landing site inside Jezero crater (Mars). These predictions are complemented with the COmplutense and MIchigan MArs Radiative Transfer model (COMIMART) and with the local Single Column Model (SCM) to further refine predictions of radiative forcing and the water cycle respectively. The primary objective is to facilitate interpretation of the meteorological measurements to be obtained by the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) aboard the rover, but also to provide predictions of the meteorological phenomena and seasonal changes that might impact operations, from both a risk perspective and from the perspective of being better prepared to make certain measurements. A full diurnal cycle at four different seasons (L<SUB>s</SUB> 0<SUP>∘</SUP>, 90<SUP>∘</SUP>, 180<SUP>∘</SUP>, and 270<SUP>∘</SUP>) is investigated. Air and ground temperatures, pressure, wind speed and direction, surface radiative fluxes and moisture data are modeled. The good agreement between observations and modeling in prior works [Pla-Garcia et al. in Icarus 280:103-113, 2016; Newman et al. in Icarus 291:203-231, 2017; Vicente-Retortillo et al. in Sci. Rep. 8(1):1-8, 2018; Savijärvi et al. in Icarus, 2020] provides confidence in utilizing these models results to predict the meteorological environment at Mars 2020 Perseverance rover landing site inside Jezero crater. The data returned by MEDA will determine the extent to which this confidence was justified.
Title: Detection of Dynamical Instability in Titan's Thermospheric Jet
Authors: Cordiner, M. A.; Garcia-Berrios, E.; Cosentino, R. G.; Teanby, N. A.; Newman, C. E.; Nixon, C. A.; Thelen, A. E.; Charnley, S. B.
Affiliation: AA(Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA; Department of Physics, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, USA), AB(Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA; Department of Physics, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, USA), AC(Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA; Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA), AD(School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Queens Road, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK), AE(Aeolis Research, 333 North Dobson Road, Unit 5, Chandler, AZ 85224, USA), AF(Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA), AG(Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA), AH(Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA)
Journal: The Astrophysical Journal Letters, Volume 904, Issue 1, id.L12, <NUMPAGES>8</NUMPAGES> pp.
Publication Date: Nov 2020
Origin: American Astronomical Society
Keywords: Atmospheric circulation, Doppler imaging, Radio interferometry, 112, 400, 1346, Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics, Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/abc688
Bibliographic Code: 2020ApJ...904L..12C
Abstract: Similar to Earth, Saturn's largest moon, Titan, possesses a system of high-altitude zonal winds (or jets) that encircle the globe. Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in 2016 August, Lellouch et al. discovered an equatorial jet at much higher altitudes than previously known, with a surprisingly fast speed of up to ∼340 m s<SUP>-1</SUP>; however, the origin of such high velocities is not yet understood. We obtained spectrally and spatially resolved ALMA observations in 2017 May to map Titan's 3D global wind field and compare our results with a re-analysis of the 2016 August data. Doppler wind velocity maps were derived in the altitude range ∼300-1000 km (from the upper stratosphere to the thermosphere). At the highest thermospheric altitudes, a 47% reduction in the equatorial zonal wind speed was measured over the 9 month period (corresponding to L<SUB>s</SUB> = 82°-90° on Titan). This is interpreted as being due to a dramatic slowing and loss of confinement (broadening) of the recently discovered thermospheric equatorial jet, as a result of dynamical instability. These unexpectedly rapid changes in the upper-atmospheric dynamics are consistent with strong variability of the jet's primary driving mechanism.
Title: The Line-of-Sight Extinction Record at Gale Crater as Observed by MSL's Mastcam and Navcam through &lt;span type="mathematics"&gt;∼2,500 Sols
Authors: Smith, Christina L.; Lemmon, Mark; Moores, John E.; Guzewich, Scott D.; McConnochie, Timothy H.; Newman, Claire E.; Khayat, Alain S. J.; Battalio, Michael; Moore, Casey A.; Ellison, Douglas
Affiliation: AA(Department of Earth and Spaces Sciences and Engineering, York University, Toronto, Ontario Canada; Now at Wright Laboratory of Physics, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH US), AB(Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO USA), AC(Department of Earth and Spaces Sciences and Engineering, York University, Toronto, Ontario Canada), AD(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD USA), AE(Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO USA; Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD USA), AF(Aeolis Research, Chandler, AZ USA), AG(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD USA; Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology (CRESST II), Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD USA), AH(Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA USA), AI(Department of Earth and Spaces Sciences and Engineering, York University, Toronto, Ontario Canada), AJ(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA, Pasadena, CA USA)
Journal: Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Volume 125, Issue 11, article id. e06465.
Publication Date: Nov 2020
Origin: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Keywords: Mars, atmosphere, dust, aerosol, optical depth, Mars Science Laboratory
Abstract Copyright: ©2020. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JE006465
Bibliographic Code: 2020JGRE..12506465S
Abstract: The Mars Science Laboratory rover (Curiosity) has monitored the line-of-sight extinction within Gale Crater since mission sol 100 (16 November 2012, MY 31 L<SUB>s</SUB> 208°) with Navcam and since mission sol 1,187 (8 December 2015, MY 33 L<SUB>s</SUB> 79°) with the color imager, Mastcam. This work reports 1,375 sols (&gt;2 MYs) of line-of-sight extinction monitoring within Gale Crater with Mastcam and updates the Navcam line-of-sight extinction record to sol 2,556 (15 October 2019, MY 35 L<SUB>s</SUB> 93°). A cyclical pattern with one or more peaks in the dusty season (L<SUB>s</SUB> ∼180-360°) and a trough in the less-dusty season (L<SUB>s</SUB> ∼0-180°) was observed with both imagers and the results from Mastcam red and Navcam agree well. Green and blue filter Mastcam data show generally lower extinction than in the red filter data. Extinction as a function of azimuth and elevation angle were investigated and the extinction as a function of azimuth was generally found to be smooth and thus the dust well-mixed horizontally. The extinction as a function of elevation shows increased dust loading at lower elevations during dusty seasons, indicative of dust lifting from the base of the crater.
Title: Effects of a Large Dust Storm in the Near-Surface Atmosphere as Measured by InSight in Elysium Planitia, Mars. Comparison With Contemporaneous Measurements by Mars Science Laboratory
Authors: Viúdez-Moreiras, D.; Newman, C. E.; Forget, F.; Lemmon, M.; Banfield, D.; Spiga, A.; Lepinette, A.; Rodriguez-Manfredi, J. A.; Gómez-Elvira, J.; Pla-García, J.; Muller, N.; Grott, M.
Affiliation: AA(Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA) and National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA), Madrid, Spain), AB(Aeolis Research, Pasadena, CA USA), AC(Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (LMD/IPSL), Sorbonne Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, EÉcole Polytechnique, EÉcole Normale Superieure, Paris, France), AD(Space Science Institute, College Station, TX USA), AE(Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY USA), AF(Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (LMD/IPSL), Sorbonne Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, EÉcole Polytechnique, EÉcole Normale Superieure, Paris, France), AG(Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA) and National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA), Madrid, Spain), AH(Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA) and National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA), Madrid, Spain), AI(Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA) and National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA), Madrid, Spain), AJ(Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA) and National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA), Madrid, Spain), AK(German Aerospace Center (DLR), Berlin, Germany), AL(German Aerospace Center (DLR), Berlin, Germany)
Journal: Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Volume 125, Issue 9, article id. e06493.
Publication Date: Sep 2020
Origin: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Keywords: Mars atmosphere, dust storm, InSight Lander
Abstract Copyright: ©2020. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JE006493
Bibliographic Code: 2020JGRE..12506493V
Abstract: NASA's InSight landed in Elysium Planitia (~4.5°N,136°E) at L<SUB>s</SUB> ~ 296° (November 2018), right after the decay of the 2018 Global Dust Storm (GDS) and before the onset of the 2019 Large Dust Storm (LDS) at L<SUB>s</SUB> ~ 320° (January 2019). InSight's cameras observed a rise in the atmospheric opacities during the storm from ~0.7 to ~1.9, similarly to contemporaneous measurements by Curiosity in Gale crater. Pressure tides were strongly affected at the locations of InSight and Curiosity. In particular, the diurnal pressure mode experienced an abrupt increase during the onset of the LDS, similar to that measured by Curiosity, most likely due to longitudinally asymmetric dust loading. Later, the dust was redistributed around the planet and the semidiurnal mode evolved according to dust opacity in both missions. Before and after the onset of the storm, the observed wind patterns resulted from the interaction between regional and local slope flows induced by topography, which all produced a diurnal perturbation superimposed on a mean flow, dominated by the Hadley cell but with modifications due to channeling effects from the regional topography. However, the onset of the LDS modified this to a scenario consistent with enhanced tidal flows. The local air temperatures are strongly perturbed by the lander's thermal effects, and their retrieval significantly depends on wind patterns, which changed during the course of the dust storm. Observations suggest a decrease in convective vortices during the dust storm; however, vortex activity remained strong during the storm's onset due to the increase in wind speeds.
Title: Temperature Variability in Titan's Upper Atmosphere: The Role of Wave Dissipation
Authors: Wang, Xing; Lian, Yuan; Cui, Jun; Richardson, Mark; Wu, Zhaopeng; Li, Jing
Affiliation: AA(Key Laboratory of Lunar and Deep Space Exploration, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China), AB(Aeolis Research, Pasadena, CA USA), AC(School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China; Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology, Hefei, China), AD(Aeolis Research, Pasadena, CA USA), AE(School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China; Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology, Hefei, China), AF(School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China)
Journal: Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Volume 125, Issue 6, article id. e06163.
Publication Date: Jun 2020
Origin: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Keywords: Titan's atmosphere, Gravity waves
Abstract Copyright: ©2020. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JE006163
Bibliographic Code: 2020JGRE..12506163W
Abstract: The Cassini spacecraft detected a surprisingly large temporal temperature variability of 60 Kin Titan's upper atmosphere during multiple flybys. Previous efforts examining such a variability focused on the role of radiative heating but were unable to explain the observations. Analytic estimates of the wave energy fluxes have suggested that wave heating might be an important process affecting the thermal structure of the upper atmosphere. However, approaches to date have been highly idealized and have not described wave propagation rigorously. Here, we implement an anelastic linearized wave model adopting the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin approximation that adequately describes wave propagation in Titan's upper atmosphere, where the observed vertical wavelengths are several times larger than the density scale height. Our results show that the wave heating and cooling rates generated by molecular diffusion of monochromatic waves are larger than those found in previous studies. The energy fluxes associated with wave dissipation can exceed that of the combined solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) heating and HCN rotational line cooling. Compared to the wave-free, mean-state temperature, the wave energy fluxes associated with certain wave modes can produce a temperature variability as large as 20 K, which is larger than that driven by magnetospheric particle precipitation but still smaller than that observed. Our results suggest that wave heating and cooling are important processes that can modify the thermal structure of Titan's upper atmosphere and also suggest that additional processes such as wave breaking and molecular diffusion of a spectrum of waves should be considered in future studies.
Title: Monitoring of Dust Devil Tracks Around the InSight Landing Site, Mars, and Comparison With In Situ Atmospheric Data
Authors: Perrin, C.; Rodriguez, S.; Jacob, A.; Lucas, A.; Spiga, A.; Murdoch, N.; Lorenz, R.; Daubar, I. J.; Pan, L.; Kawamura, T.; Lognonné, P.; Banfield, D.; Banks, M. E.; Garcia, R. F.; Newman, C. E.; Ohja, L.; Widmer-Schnidrig, R.; McEwen, A. S.; Banerdt, W. B.
Affiliation: AA(Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France), AB(Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France; Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France), AC(Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France), AD(Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France), AE(Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France; Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique/Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (LMD/IPSL), Sorbonne Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), École Polytechnique, École Normale Supérieure (ENS), Campus Pierre et Marie Curie BP99, Paris, France), AF(Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace SUPAERO, Toulouse, France), AG(Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA), AH(Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI USA), AI(Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, ENS de Lyon, CNRS, UMR 5276 Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon -Terre, Planètes, Environnement, Villeurbanne, France), AJ(Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France), AK(Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France; Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA), AL(Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY USA), AM(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD USA), AN(Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA), AO(Aeolis Research, Chandler, AZ USA), AP(Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD USA), AQ(Black Forest Observatory, Stuttgart University, Wolfach, Germany), AR(Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ USA), AS(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA)
Journal: Geophysical Research Letters, Volume 47, Issue 10, article id. e87234.
Publication Date: May 2020
Origin: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Keywords: dust devil tracks, Mars, InSight mission, HiRISE images
Abstract Copyright: ©2020. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL087234
Bibliographic Code: 2020GeoRL..4787234P
Abstract: The NASA InSight mission on Mars is a unique opportunity to study atmospheric processes both from orbit and in situ observations. We use post-landing high-resolution satellite images to monitor dust devil activity during the first 8 months of the mission. We perform mapping and semiautomatic detection of newly formed dust devil tracks and analyze their characteristics (sizes, azimuths, distances, and directions of motion). We find a large number of tracks appearing shortly after landing, followed by a significant decrease of activity during late winter, then a progressive increase during early spring. New tracks are characterized by dark linear, to slightly curvilinear, traces ranging from a few to more than 10 m wide. Tracks are oriented in the ambient wind direction, according to measurements made by InSight's meteorological sensors. The systematic analysis of dust devil tracks is useful to have a better understanding of atmospheric and aeolian activity around InSight.
Title: Advective Fluxes in the Martian Regolith as a Mechanism Driving Methane and Other Trace Gas Emissions to the Atmosphere
Authors: Viúdez-Moreiras, D.; Arvidson, R. E.; Gómez-Elvira, J.; Webster, C.; Newman, C. E.; Mahaffy, P.; Vasavada, A. R.
Affiliation: AA(Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA) &amp; National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA), Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain), AB(Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, MO USA), AC(Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA) &amp; National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA), Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain), AD(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA), AE(Aeolis Research, Pasadena, CA USA), AF(Planetary Environments Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD USA), AG(Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, MO USA)
Journal: Geophysical Research Letters, Volume 47, Issue 3, article id. e85694.
Publication Date: Feb 2020
Origin: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Keywords: Mars atmosphere, regolith-atmospheric interactions, regolith trace gas emissions, Martian methane, Mars Science Laboratory
Abstract Copyright: ©2020. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL085694
Bibliographic Code: 2020GeoRL..4785694V
Abstract: Advective fluxes influence methane and CO<SUB>2</SUB> soil emissions into the atmosphere on Earth and may drive trace gas emissions in the Mars atmosphere. However, their relevance in the Martian regolith has not been evaluated to date. Our regolith transport simulations show that advective fluxes can be relevant under Martian conditions and may drive the methane abundance detected by Mars Science Laboratory. Trace gas emissions would be highest in regions where winds interact with topography. Emissions in these regions may be further enhanced by time-varying pressure fields produced by diurnal thermal tides and atmospheric turbulence. Trace gases such as methane should be emitted or produced from the first layers of regolith, or quickly transported to this region from a deeper reservoir through fractured media.
Title: The atmosphere of Mars as observed by InSight
Authors: Banfield, Don; Spiga, Aymeric; Newman, Claire; Forget, François; Lemmon, Mark; Lorenz, Ralph; Murdoch, Naomi; Viudez-Moreiras, Daniel; Pla-Garcia, Jorge; Garcia, Raphaël F.; Lognonné, Philippe; Karatekin, Özgür; Perrin, Clément; Martire, Léo; Teanby, Nicholas; Hove, Bart Van; Maki, Justin N.; Kenda, Balthasar; Mueller, Nils T.; Rodriguez, Sébastien; Kawamura, Taichi; McClean, John B.; Stott, Alexander E.; Charalambous, Constantinos; Millour, Ehouarn; Johnson, Catherine L.; Mittelholz, Anna; Määttänen, Anni; Lewis, Stephen R.; Clinton, John; Stähler, Simon C.; Ceylan, Savas; Giardini, Domenico; Warren, Tristram; Pike, William T.; Daubar, Ingrid; Golombek, Matthew; Rolland, Lucie; Widmer-Schnidrig, Rudolf; Mimoun, David; Beucler, Éric; Jacob, Alice; Lucas, Antoine; Baker, Mariah; Ansan, Véronique; Hurst, Kenneth; Mora-Sotomayor, Luis; Navarro, Sara; Torres, Josefina; Lepinette, Alain; Molina, Antonio; Marin-Jimenez, Mercedes; Gomez-Elvira, Javier; Peinado, Veronica; Rodriguez-Manfredi, Jose-Antonio; Carcich, Brian T.; Sackett, Stephen; Russell, Christopher T.; Spohn, Tilman; Smrekar, Suzanne E.; Banerdt, W. Bruce
Affiliation: AA(Cornell University, Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, Ithaca, NY, USA), AB(Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique/Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (LMD/IPSL), Sorbonne Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), École Polytechnique, École Normale Supérieure (ENS), Paris, France; Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France), AC(Aeolis Research, Chandler, AZ, USA), AD(Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique/Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (LMD/IPSL), Sorbonne Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), École Polytechnique, École Normale Supérieure (ENS), Paris, France), AE(Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO, USA), AF(Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA), AG(Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO), Toulouse, France), AH(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), AI(Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO, USA; Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), AJ(Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO), Toulouse, France), AK(Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France; Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France), AL(Royal Observatory of Belgium, Directorate `Reference Systems and Planetology', Brussels, Belgium), AM(Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France), AN(Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO), Toulouse, France), AO(School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK), AP(Royal Observatory of Belgium, Directorate `Reference Systems and Planetology', Brussels, Belgium), AQ(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AR(Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France), AS(German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin, Germany), AT(Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France; Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France), AU(Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France), AV(Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK), AW(Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK), AX(Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK), AY(Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique/Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (LMD/IPSL), Sorbonne Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), École Polytechnique, École Normale Supérieure (ENS), Paris, France), AZ(Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ, USA), BA(Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), BB(Laboratoire Atmosphère Milieux Observations Spatiales/Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace (LATMOS/IPSL), Sorbonne Université, Université Paris-Saclay, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Guyancourt, France), BC(School of Physical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK), BD(Swiss Seismological Service (SED), ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland), BE(Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland), BF(Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland), BG(Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland), BH(Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK), BI(Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK), BJ(Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA), BK(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), BL(Université Côte d'Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, CNRS, IRD, Géoazur, Valbonne, France), BM(Black Forest Observatory, Stuttgart University, Wolfach, Germany), BN(Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO), Toulouse, France), BO(Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique, UMR6112, Université Nantes, Université Angers, CNRS, Nantes, France), BP(Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France), BQ(Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France), BR(Morton K. Blaustein Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, USA), BS(Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique, UMR6112, Université Nantes, Université Angers, CNRS, Nantes, France), BT(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), BU(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), BV(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), BW(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), BX(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), BY(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), BZ(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), CA(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), CB(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), CC(Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain), CD(Cornell University, Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, Ithaca, NY, USA), CE(Cornell University, Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, Ithaca, NY, USA), CF(Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA), CG(German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin, Germany), CH(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), CI(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA)
Journal: Nature Geoscience, Volume 13, Issue 3, p.190-198.
Publication Date: Feb 2020
Origin: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-020-0534-0
Bibliographic Code: 2020NatGe..13..190B
Abstract: The atmosphere of Mars is thin, although rich in dust aerosols, and covers a dry surface. As such, Mars provides an opportunity to expand our knowledge of atmospheres beyond that attainable from the atmosphere of the Earth. The InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) lander is measuring Mars's atmosphere with unprecedented continuity, accuracy and sampling frequency. Here we show that InSight unveils new atmospheric phenomena at Mars, especially in the higher-frequency range, and extends our understanding of Mars's meteorology at all scales. InSight is uniquely sensitive to large-scale and regional weather and obtained detailed in situ coverage of a regional dust storm on Mars. Images have enabled high-altitude wind speeds to be measured and revealed airglow—faint emissions produced by photochemical reactions—in the middle atmosphere. InSight observations show a paradox of aeolian science on Mars: despite having the largest recorded Martian vortex activity and dust-devil tracks close to the lander, no visible dust devils have been seen. Meteorological measurements have produced a catalogue of atmospheric gravity waves, which included bores (soliton-like waves). From these measurements, we have discovered Martian infrasound and unexpected similarities between atmospheric turbulence on Earth and Mars. We suggest that the observations of Mars's atmosphere by InSight will be key for prediction capabilities and future exploration.
Title: Initial results from the InSight mission on Mars
Authors: Banerdt, W. Bruce; Smrekar, Suzanne E.; Banfield, Don; Giardini, Domenico; Golombek, Matthew; Johnson, Catherine L.; Lognonné, Philippe; Spiga, Aymeric; Spohn, Tilman; Perrin, Clément; Stähler, Simon C.; Antonangeli, Daniele; Asmar, Sami; Beghein, Caroline; Bowles, Neil; Bozdag, Ebru; Chi, Peter; Christensen, Ulrich; Clinton, John; Collins, Gareth S.; Daubar, Ingrid; Dehant, Véronique; Drilleau, Mélanie; Fillingim, Matthew; Folkner, William; Garcia, Raphaël F.; Garvin, Jim; Grant, John; Grott, Matthias; Grygorczuk, Jerzy; Hudson, Troy; Irving, Jessica C. E.; Kargl, Günter; Kawamura, Taichi; Kedar, Sharon; King, Scott; Knapmeyer-Endrun, Brigitte; Knapmeyer, Martin; Lemmon, Mark; Lorenz, Ralph; Maki, Justin N.; Margerin, Ludovic; McLennan, Scott M.; Michaut, Chloe; Mimoun, David; Mittelholz, Anna; Mocquet, Antoine; Morgan, Paul; Mueller, Nils T.; Murdoch, Naomi; Nagihara, Seiichi; Newman, Claire; Nimmo, Francis; Panning, Mark; Pike, W. Thomas; Plesa, Ana-Catalina; Rodriguez, Sébastien; Rodriguez-Manfredi, Jose Antonio; Russell, Christopher T.; Schmerr, Nicholas; Siegler, Matt; Stanley, Sabine; Stutzmann, Eléanore; Teanby, Nicholas; Tromp, Jeroen; van Driel, Martin; Warner, Nicholas; Weber, Renee; Wieczorek, Mark
Affiliation: AA(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AB(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AC(Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA), AD(Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland), AE(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AF(Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ, USA), AG(Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Université de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France; Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France), AH(Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France; Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique/Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (LMD/IPSL), Sorbonne Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), École Polytechnique, École Normale Supérieure (ENS), Paris, France), AI(German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin, Germany), AJ(Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Université de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France), AK(Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland), AL(Sorbonne Université, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, UMR CNRS 7590, Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), Paris, France), AM(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AN(Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Lunar and Planetary Institute, Universities Space Research Association, Houston, TX, USA), AO(Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK), AP(Department of Geophysics, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, USA), AQ(Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA), AR(Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Göttingen, Germany), AS(Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland), AT(Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK), AU(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AV(Royal Observatory of Belgium, Directorate "Reference Systems and Planetology", Brussels, Belgium; Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium), AW(Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Université de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France), AX(Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA), AY(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), AZ(Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace SUPAERO, Toulouse, France), BA(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA), BB(Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA), BC(German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin, Germany), BD(Astronika Sp. z o.o., Warsaw, Poland), BE(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), BF(Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA), BG(Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), Graz, Austria), BH(Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Université de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France), BI(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), BJ(Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA), BK(Bensberg Observatory, University of Cologne, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany), BL(German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin, Germany), BM(Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO, USA), BN(Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA), BO(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), BP(Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, CNRS, CNES, Toulouse, France), BQ(Department of Geosciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA), BR(Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France; Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement, Université de Lyon, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, UCBL, CNRS, Lyon, France), BS(Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace SUPAERO, Toulouse, France), BT(Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), BU(Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique, UMR6112, Université de Nantes, Université d'Angers, CNRS, Nantes, France), BV(Department of Geophysics, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, USA; Colorado Geological Survey, Wilsonville, OR, USA), BW(German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin, Germany), BX(Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace SUPAERO, Toulouse, France), BY(Department of Geosciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA), BZ(Aeolis Research, Chandler, AZ, USA), CA(Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA), CB(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA), CC(Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK), CD(German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin, Germany), CE(Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Université de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France; Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France), CF(Centro de Astrobiología, CSIC-INTA, Madrid, Spain), CG(Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA), CH(Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA), CI(Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ, USA; Department of Earth Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, USA), CJ(Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA), CK(Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Université de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France), CL(School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK), CM(Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA), CN(Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland), CO(Department of Geological Sciences, State University of New York at Geneseo, Geneseo, NY, USA), CP(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, AL, USA), CQ(Université Côte d'Azur, Laboratoire Lagrange, Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Nice, France)
Journal: Nature Geoscience, Volume 13, Issue 3, p.183-189.
Publication Date: Feb 2020
Origin: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-020-0544-y
Bibliographic Code: 2020NatGe..13..183B
Abstract: NASA's InSight (Interior exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) mission landed in Elysium Planitia on Mars on 26 November 2018. It aims to determine the interior structure, composition and thermal state of Mars, as well as constrain present-day seismicity and impact cratering rates. Such information is key to understanding the differentiation and subsequent thermal evolution of Mars, and thus the forces that shape the planet's surface geology and volatile processes. Here we report an overview of the first ten months of geophysical observations by InSight. As of 30 September 2019, 174 seismic events have been recorded by the lander's seismometer, including over 20 events of moment magnitude M<SUB>w</SUB> = 3-4. The detections thus far are consistent with tectonic origins, with no impact-induced seismicity yet observed, and indicate a seismically active planet. An assessment of these detections suggests that the frequency of global seismic events below approximately M<SUB>w</SUB> = 3 is similar to that of terrestrial intraplate seismic activity, but there are fewer larger quakes; no quakes exceeding M<SUB>w</SUB> = 4 have been observed. The lander's other instruments—two cameras, atmospheric pressure, temperature and wind sensors, a magnetometer and a radiometer—have yielded much more than the intended supporting data for seismometer noise characterization: magnetic field measurements indicate a local magnetic field that is ten-times stronger than orbital estimates and meteorological measurements reveal a more dynamic atmosphere than expected, hosting baroclinic and gravity waves and convective vortices. With the mission due to last for an entire Martian year or longer, these results will be built on by further measurements by the InSight lander.
Title: Geology of the InSight landing site on Mars
Authors: Golombek, M.; Warner, N. H.; Grant, J. A.; Hauber, E.; Ansan, V.; Weitz, C. M.; Williams, N.; Charalambous, C.; Wilson, S. A.; DeMott, A.; Kopp, M.; Lethcoe-Wilson, H.; Berger, L.; Hausmann, R.; Marteau, E.; Vrettos, C.; Trussell, A.; Folkner, W.; Le Maistre, S.; Mueller, N.; Grott, M.; Spohn, T.; Piqueux, S.; Millour, E.; Forget, F.; Daubar, I.; Murdoch, N.; Lognonné, P.; Perrin, C.; Rodriguez, S.; Pike, W. T.; Parker, T.; Maki, J.; Abarca, H.; Deen, R.; Hall, J.; Andres, P.; Ruoff, N.; Calef, F.; Smrekar, S.; Baker, M. M.; Banks, M.; Spiga, A.; Banfield, D.; Garvin, J.; Newman, C. E.; Banerdt, W. B.
Affiliation: AA(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA), AB(SUNY Geneseo, Department of Geological Sciences, 1 College Circle, 14454, Geneseo, NY, USA), AC(Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, 6th at Independence SW, 20013, Washington, DC, USA), AD(DLR, Institute of Planetary Research, Rutherfordstr. 2, 12489, Berlin, Germany), AE(Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique, CNRS URM6112, Université de Nantes, Nantes, France), AF(Planetary Science Institute, 1700 E Fort Lowell, Suite 106, 85719, Tucson, AZ, USA), AG(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA), AH(Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College, South Kensington Campus, SW7 2AZ, London, UK), AI(Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, 6th at Independence SW, 20013, Washington, DC, USA), AJ(SUNY Geneseo, Department of Geological Sciences, 1 College Circle, 14454, Geneseo, NY, USA), AK(SUNY Geneseo, Department of Geological Sciences, 1 College Circle, 14454, Geneseo, NY, USA), AL(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA), AM(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA), AN(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA), AO(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA), AP(Division of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, Technical University of Kaiserslautern, 67663, Kaiserslautern, Germany), AQ(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA), AR(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA), AS(Royal Observatory of Belgium, Avenue Circulaire 3, 1180, Brussels, Belgium), AT(DLR, Institute of Planetary Research, Rutherfordstr. 2, 12489, Berlin, Germany), AU(DLR, Institute of Planetary Research, Rutherfordstr. 2, 12489, Berlin, Germany), AV(DLR, Institute of Planetary Research, Rutherfordstr. 2, 12489, Berlin, Germany), AW(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA), AX(Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (LMD/IPSL), Sorbonne Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, École Normale Supérieure, École Polytechnique, Paris, France), AY(Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (LMD/IPSL), Sorbonne Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, École Normale Supérieure, École Polytechnique, Paris, France), AZ(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA), BA(Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO), Université de Toulouse, 31400, Toulouse, France), BB(Université de Paris, Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS, F-75005, Paris, France), BC(Université de Paris, Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS, F-75005, Paris, France), BD(Université de Paris, Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS, F-75005, Paris, France), BE(Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College, South Kensington Campus, SW7 2AZ, London, UK), BF(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA), BG(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA), BH(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA), BI(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA), BJ(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA), BK(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA), BL(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA), BM(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA), BN(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA), BO(Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, 6th at Independence SW, 20013, Washington, DC, USA; Morton K. Blaustein Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, 301 Olin Hall, 3400 N. Charles St, 21218, Baltimore, MD, USA), BP(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, 20771, Greenbelt, MD, USA), BQ(Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (LMD/IPSL), Sorbonne Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, École Normale Supérieure, École Polytechnique, Paris, France; Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France), BR(420 Space Sciences, Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, Cornell University, 14853, Ithaca, NY, USA), BS(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, 20771, Greenbelt, MD, USA), BT(Aeolis Research, 333N Dobson Road, Unit 5, 85224-4412, Chandler, AZ, USA), BU(Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA)
Journal: Nature Communications, Volume 11, article id. 1014.
Publication Date: Feb 2020
Origin: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-14679-1
Bibliographic Code: 2020NatCo..11.1014G
Abstract: The Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) spacecraft landed successfully on Mars and imaged the surface to characterize the surficial geology. Here we report on the geology and subsurface structure of the landing site to aid in situ geophysical investigations. InSight landed in a degraded impact crater in Elysium Planitia on a smooth sandy, granule- and pebble-rich surface with few rocks. Superposed impact craters are common and eolian bedforms are sparse. During landing, pulsed retrorockets modified the surface to reveal a near surface stratigraphy of surficial dust, over thin unconsolidated sand, underlain by a variable thickness duricrust, with poorly sorted, unconsolidated sand with rocks beneath. Impact, eolian, and mass wasting processes have dominantly modified the surface. Surface observations are consistent with expectations made from remote sensing data prior to landing indicating a surface composed of an impact-fragmented regolith overlying basaltic lava flows.