Planetary atmosphere observation analysis

Abstract:

Ozone and water vapour volume mixing ratio vertical profiles in the Martian atmosphere derived from solar occultation mid-infrared spectra recorded by the Atmospheric Chemistry Suite on the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. Data were recorded between mid Mars year 34 to early Mars year 36. Trace gas retrievals were done using the JPL Gas Fitting Software.

Abstract:

Temperature data derived from ACS NIR observations of Mars used in the paper: Seasonal changes in the vertical structure of ozone in the Martian lower atmosphere and its relationship to water vapour. LMD GCM data interpolated to the terminator (T/P/density/H2O/O3) used in the paper: Seasonal changes in the vertical structure of ozone in the Martian lower atmosphere and its relationship to water vapour.

Abstract:

Isotopic ratios in atmospheric CO2 are shaped by various processes throughout Mars' history, and can help understand what the atmosphere of early Mars was like to sustain liquid water on its surface. In this study, we monitor the O and C isotopic composition of CO2 between 70 and 130 km for more than half a Martian year using solar occultation observations by the Atmospheric Chemistry Suite onboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. We find the vertical trends of the isotopic ratios to be consistent with the expectations from diffusive separation above the homopause, with average values below this altitude being consistent with Earth-like fractionation (δ13C = −3 ± 37‰; δ18O = −29 ± 38‰; and δ17O = −11 ± 41‰). Using these measurements, we estimate that at least 20%–40% of primordial C on Mars has escaped to space throughout history. The total amount of C lost from the atmosphere is likely to be well in excess of this lower limit, due to carbonate formation and further sink processes. In addition, we propose a photochemical transfer of light O from H2O to CO2 to explain the larger enrichment in the 18O/16O ratio in H2O than in CO2.

Abstract:

In this work, we have analyzed images provided by the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3 (HST/WFC3) in December 2016, with a spectral coverage from the ultraviolet to the near infrared. We have obtained the spectral reflectivity of the GRS and its surroundings, with particular emphasis on selected, dynamically interesting regions. A spectral characterization of the GRS area is performed following two different procedures: (a) in terms of Altitude/Opacity and Color Indices (AOI and CI); (b) by means of automatic spectral classification. We used the NEMESIS radiative transfer suite to retrieve the main atmospheric parameters (e.g., particle vertical and size distributions, refractive indices) that are able to explain the observed spectral reflectivity. The optimal a priori model atmosphere used for the retrievals is obtained from a grid of about 12,000 different atmospheric models, and choosing the one that best fits South Tropical Zone (STrZ) spectra and its observed limb-darkening. We conclude that the spectral reflectivity of the GRS area is well reproduced with the following layout: (a) a stratospheric haze with its base near the 100 mbar level, with optical depths at 900 nm of the order of unity and particles with a size of 0.3 μm; (b) a more vertically extended tropospheric haze, with τ (900 nm) ∼10 down to 500 mbar and micron sized particles. Both haze layers show a stronger short wavelength absorption, and thus both act as chromophores. The altitude difference between clouds tops in the GRS and surrounding areas is ∼10 km.