Drying of the Martian mesosphere during aphelion induced by lower temperatures

The formation of water ice clouds or hazes on Mars imposes substantial limitations on the vertical transport of water into the middle-upper atmosphere, impacting the planet’s hydrogen loss. Recent observations made by the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer instrument onboard Mars 2020 Perseverance rover have shown a marked decline in water ice abundance within the mesosphere (above 35-40 km) when Mars is near its aphelion (near the northern summer solstice), notably occurring during solar longitudes (Ls) between Ls 70∘ and 80∘. Orbital observations around the same latitudes indicate that temperatures between ~ 30-40 km reach a minimum during the same period. Using cloud microphysics simulations, we demonstrate that this decrease in temperature effectively increases the amount of water cold-trapped at those altitudes, confining water ice condensation to lower altitudes. Similarly, the reinforcement of the cold trap induced by the lower temperatures results in significant reductions in the water vapor mixing ratio above 35–40 km, explaining the confinement of water vapor observed around aphelion from orbiters. Low atmospheric temperatures during the Martian aphelion freeze water ice in the troposphere which is then cold trapped and unable to transit up into the mesosphere, according to a radiative transfer model and cloud microphysics simulations

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Communications Earth & Environment
Published
2024-11-20
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01878-7
Primary Topic
Planetary Science and Exploration
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Drying of the Martian mesosphere during aphelion induced by lower temperatures

M. T. Lemmon, Aurélien Stcherbinine, Tanguy Bertrand, L. K. Tamppari et al.
Communications Earth & Environment
Planetary Science and Exploration
article

Drying of the Martian mesosphere during aphelion induced by lower temperatures

M. T. Lemmon, Aurélien Stcherbinine, Tanguy Bertrand, L. K. Tamppari, J. A. Rodríguez‐Manfredi, Claire Newman, Agustín Sánchez-Lavega, Daniel Viúdez‐Moreiras, R. Hueso, Franck Montmessin, Margarita Yela, Á. Vicente‐Retortillo, Asier Munguira, Priya Patel, V. Apéstigue, R. D. Lorenz, Ignacio Arruego, Daniel Toledo, M. D. Smith, P. Rannou, Jorge Pla‐García, Raul Rodriguez-Veloso, Germán Martínez, Manuel de la Torre Juarez
article en

Abstract

The formation of water ice clouds or hazes on Mars imposes substantial limitations on the vertical transport of water into the middle-upper atmosphere, impacting the planet’s hydrogen loss. Recent observations made by the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer instrument onboard Mars 2020 Perseverance rover have shown a marked decline in water ice abundance within the mesosphere (above 35-40 km) when Mars is near its aphelion (near the northern summer solstice), notably occurring during solar longitudes (Ls) between Ls 70∘ and 80∘. Orbital observations around the same latitudes indicate that temperatures between ~ 30-40 km reach a minimum during the same period. Using cloud microphysics simulations, we demonstrate that this decrease in temperature effectively increases the amount of water cold-trapped at those altitudes, confining water ice condensation to lower altitudes. Similarly, the reinforcement of the cold trap induced by the lower temperatures results in significant reductions in the water vapor mixing ratio above 35–40 km, explaining the confinement of water vapor observed around aphelion from orbiters. Low atmospheric temperatures during the Martian aphelion freeze water ice in the troposphere which is then cold trapped and unable to transit up into the mesosphere, according to a radiative transfer model and cloud microphysics simulations

Communications Earth & EnvironmentVol. 5(1)
Space Science Institute (US), Goddard Space Flight Center (US), Universities Space Research Association (US), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (US), University of the Basque Country (ES), Université Paris Cité (FR), Observatoire de Paris (FR), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (US), Sorbonne Université (FR), Aeolis Research (United States) (US), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (ES), Laboratoire d’études spatiales et d’instrumentation en astrophysique (FR), Centro de Astrobiología (ES), Laboratoire atmosphères, milieux, observations spatiales (FR), Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (FR), Lunar and Planetary Institute (US), Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (FR)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, California Institute of Technology, Eusko Jaurlaritza, Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Space Technology Mission Directorate, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, European Social Fund
Climate action
Openalex Percentile: Top 85%
Planetary Science and Exploration
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.