scholarly journals An observational study of the response of the upper atmosphere of Mars to lower atmospheric dust storms

Icarus ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 225 (1) ◽  
pp. 378-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Withers ◽  
R. Pratt
Keyword(s):  
Observational Study ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
Upper Atmosphere ◽  
Atmospheric Dust

Hydrogen escape from Mars is driven by seasonal and dust storm transport of water

Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 370 (6518) ◽  
pp. 824-831
Author(s):  
Shane W. Stone ◽  
Roger V. Yelle ◽  
Mehdi Benna ◽  
Daniel Y. Lo ◽  
Meredith K. Elrod ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dust Storm ◽  
Atomic Hydrogen ◽  
Molecular Hydrogen ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
Upper Atmosphere ◽  
Lower Atmosphere ◽  
Mars Atmosphere ◽  
Water Abundance ◽  
Neutral Gas ◽  
Standard Models

Mars has lost most of its once-abundant water to space, leaving the planet cold and dry. In standard models, molecular hydrogen produced from water in the lower atmosphere diffuses into the upper atmosphere where it is dissociated, producing atomic hydrogen, which is lost. Using observations from the Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer on the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft, we demonstrate that water is instead transported directly to the upper atmosphere, then dissociated by ions to produce atomic hydrogen. The water abundance in the upper atmosphere varied seasonally, peaking in southern summer, and surged during dust storms, including the 2018 global dust storm. We calculate that this transport of water dominates the present-day loss of atomic hydrogen to space and influenced the evolution of Mars’ climate.

scholarly journals Long-term variability of dust events in Iceland (1949–2011)

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (24) ◽  
pp. 13411-13422 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Dagsson-Waldhauserova ◽  
O. Arnalds ◽  
H. Olafsson
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Atmospheric Dust ◽  
The World ◽  
Icelandic Low ◽  
Dust Events ◽  
The 1960S

Abstract. The long-term frequency of atmospheric dust observations was investigated for the southern part of Iceland and interpreted together with earlier results obtained from northeastern (NE) Iceland (Dagsson-Waldhauserova et al., 2013). In total, over 34 dust days per year on average occurred in Iceland based on conventionally used synoptic codes for dust observations. However, frequent volcanic eruptions, with the re-suspension of volcanic materials and dust haze, increased the number of dust events fourfold (135 dust days annually). The position of the Icelandic Low determined whether dust events occurred in the NE (16.4 dust days annually) or in the southern (S) part of Iceland (about 18 dust days annually). The decade with the most frequent dust days in S Iceland was the 1960s, but the 2000s in NE Iceland. A total of 32 severe dust storms (visibility < 500 m) were observed in Iceland with the highest frequency of events during the 2000s in S Iceland. The Arctic dust events (NE Iceland) were typically warm, occurring during summer/autumn (May–September) and during mild southwesterly winds, while the subarctic dust events (S Iceland) were mainly cold, occurring during winter/spring (March–May) and during strong northeasterly winds. About half of the dust events in S Iceland occurred in winter or at sub-zero temperatures. A good correlation was found between particulate matter (PM10) concentrations and visibility during dust observations at the stations Vík and Stórhöfði. This study shows that Iceland is among the dustiest areas of the world and that dust is emitted year-round.

scholarly journals Mars photoelectron energy and pitch angle dependence on intense lower atmospheric dust storms

2014 ◽  
Vol 119 (7) ◽  
pp. 1689-1706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaosui Xu ◽  
Michael W. Liemohn ◽  
David L. Mitchell ◽  
Michael D. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Pitch Angle ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
Atmospheric Dust ◽  
Angle Dependence ◽  
Photoelectron Energy

An observational study of aerosol and turbulence properties during dust storms in northwest China

2012 ◽  
Vol 117 (D9) ◽  
pp. n/a-n/a ◽  
Author(s):  
Peijian Fu ◽  
Shiyuan Zhong ◽  
Jianping Huang ◽  
Guangning Song
Keyword(s):  
Observational Study ◽  
Northwest China ◽  
Dust Storms

scholarly journals Long-term variability of dust events in Iceland (1949–2011)

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 17331-17358 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Dagsson-Waldhauserova ◽  
O. Arnalds ◽  
H. Olafsson
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Atmospheric Dust ◽  
Sea Level Pressure ◽  
Term Frequency ◽  
The World ◽  
Dust Events ◽  
The 1960S

Abstract. Long-term frequency of atmospheric dust observations was investigated for the southern part of Iceland and merged with results obtained from the Northeast Iceland (Dagsson-Waldhauserova et al., 2013). In total, over 34 dust days per year on average occurred in Iceland based on conventionally used synoptic codes for dust. Including codes 04–06 into the criteria for dust observations, the frequency was 135 dust days annually. The Sea Level Pressure (SLP) oscillation controlled whether dust events occurred in NE (16.4 dust days annually) or in southern part of Iceland (about 18 dust days annually). The most dust-frequent decade in S Iceland was the 1960s while the most frequent decade in NE Iceland was the 2000s. A total of 32 severe dust storms (visibility < 500 m) was observed in Iceland with the highest frequency during the 2000s in S Iceland. The Arctic dust events (NE Iceland) were typically warm and during summer/autumn (May–September) while the Sub-Arctic dust events (S Iceland) were mainly cold and during winter/spring (March–May). About half of dust events in S Iceland occurred in winter or at sub-zero temperatures. A good correlation was found between PM10 concentrations and visibility during dust observations at the stations Vik and Storhofdi. This study shows that Iceland is among the dustiest areas of the world and dust is emitted the year-round.

scholarly journals Martian Dust Storms and Gravity Waves: Disentangling Water Transport to the Upper Atmosphere

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dmitry S. Shaposhnikov ◽  
Alexander S. Medvedev ◽  
Alexander V. Rodin ◽  
Erdal Yiğit ◽  
Paul Hartogh
Keyword(s):  
Water Transport ◽  
Gravity Waves ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
Upper Atmosphere

scholarly journals Time-history influence of global dust storms on the upper atmosphere at Mars

2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (11) ◽  
pp. n/a-n/a ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael W. Liemohn ◽  
Ava Dupre ◽  
Stephen W. Bougher ◽  
Matthew Trantham ◽  
David L. Mitchell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time History ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
Upper Atmosphere

Effects of Local Dust Storms on the Upper Atmosphere of Mars: Observations and Simulations

2019 ◽  
Vol 124 (2) ◽  
pp. 602-616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Feng Qin ◽  
Hong Zou ◽  
Yu Guang Ye ◽  
Ze Fan Yin ◽  
Jing Song Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dust Storms ◽  
Upper Atmosphere ◽  
Local Dust

scholarly journals General circulation modeling of the Martian upper atmosphere during global dust storms

2013 ◽  
Vol 118 (10) ◽  
pp. 2234-2246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander S. Medvedev ◽  
Erdal Yiğit ◽  
Takeshi Kuroda ◽  
Paul Hartogh
Keyword(s):  
General Circulation ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
Upper Atmosphere ◽  
Circulation Modeling

scholarly journals Asymmetric impacts on Mars' polar vortices from the 2018 Global Dust Storm

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Streeter ◽  
Stephen Lewis ◽  
Manish Patel ◽  
James Holmes ◽  
Anna Fedorova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Global Climate Model ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
The South ◽  
Atmospheric Dust ◽  
The North ◽  
Dust Loading ◽  
Spacecraft Data

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Introduction:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;#160; Like Earth, Mars possesses dynamical atmospheric features known as polar vortices. These are regions of cold, isolated polar air surrounded by powerful westerly wind jets which can create barriers to transport of atmospheric dust, water, and chemical species. They have a complex and asymmetrical (north/south) relationship with atmospheric dust loading [1]. Regional and global dust events have been shown to cause rapid vortex displacement [2,3] in the northern vortex, while the southern vortex appears more robust.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Unlike Earth, Mars also experiences planet-encircling Global Dust Storms: spectacular, planet-spanning events which dramatically increase atmospheric dust loading. The most recent such event in 2018 (beginning at northern autumn equinox) [4] was observed by multiple spacecraft, including the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), enabling the opportunity to study its effects on the polar vortices in detail.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;We do this by assimilating [5] spacecraft data from TGO&amp;#8217;s Atmospheric Chemistry Suite (ACS) [6,7] and MRO&amp;#8217;s Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) [8,9] into the LMD-UK Mars Global Climate Model [10], a 4D numerical model of the martian atmosphere.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;We present our recently published results [11], where we find that the 2018 GDS had asymmetrical impacts in each hemisphere: the northern polar vortex remained relatively robust, while the southern polar vortex was significantly disrupted. This asymmetry was due to both the storm&amp;#8217;s latitudinal extent, which was greater in the south than in the north, and its timing, occurring as the southern vortex was already decaying after equinox. Both polar vortices and especially the northern showed reductions in their ellipticity, and this correlated with a reduction in high-latitude stationary wave activity in both hemispheres. We show that the characteristic elliptical shape of Mars&amp;#8217; polar vortices is the pattern of the stationary waves; this was suppressed during the storm by the shifting of the polar jet away from regions of high mechanical forcing in the north, and by the reduced polar jet due to the decreased meridional temperature gradient in the south. These asymmetric effects suggest enhanced transport into the southern, but not northern, polar region during GDS around northern autumn equinox, as well as more longitudinally symmetric transport around both poles.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;References:&lt;/strong&gt; [1] Waugh, D. W. et al (2016) &lt;em&gt;J. Geophys. Res. Planets, 121, &lt;/em&gt;1770-1785. [2] Guzewich, S. D. et al (2016) &lt;em&gt;Icarus, 278, &lt;/em&gt;100-118. [3] Mitchell, D. M. et al (2015) &lt;em&gt;Q.J.R. Meteorol. Soc., 141, &lt;/em&gt;550-562. [4] Kass, D. M et al (2019) &lt;em&gt;GRL, 47&lt;/em&gt;(23). [5] Lewis, S. R. et al (2007) &lt;em&gt;Icarus, 192&lt;/em&gt;(2). [6] Korablev, O. et al (2018) &lt;em&gt;Space Sci. Rev., 214&lt;/em&gt;(7). [7] Fedorova, A. A. et al (2020) &lt;em&gt;Science, 367&lt;/em&gt;(6475). [8] McCleese, D. J. et al (2007) &lt;em&gt;JGR (Planets), 112&lt;/em&gt;(E5). [9] Kleinb&amp;#246;hl, A. et al (2009) &lt;em&gt;JGR (Planets), 114&lt;/em&gt;(E10). [10] Forget, F. et al (1999) &lt;em&gt;JGR (Planets), 104&lt;/em&gt;(E10). [11] Streeter, P. M. et al (2021) &lt;em&gt;JGR (Planets), &lt;/em&gt;e2020JE006774.&lt;/p&gt;

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