Thermal Tides in the Martian Atmosphere Near Northern Summer Solstice Observed by ACS/TIRVIM Onboard TGO. Issue 7 (31st March 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Fan, Siteng; Guerlet, Sandrine; Forget, François; Bierjon, Antoine; Millour, Ehouarn; Ignatiev, Nikolay; Shakun, Alexey; Grigoriev, Alexey; Trokhimovskiy, Alexander; Montmessin, Franck; Korablev, Oleg
• Is Part Of: Geophysical research letters. Volume 49:Issue 7(2022)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2022-03-31
• Subjects: Mars atmosphere -- thermal tide -- trace gas orbiter -- remote sensing -- atmospheric wave; Geophysics -- Periodicals; Planets -- Periodicals; Lunar geology -- Periodicals; 550
• DOI: 10.1029/2021GL097130
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0094-8276

Abstract

Abstract: Thermal tides in the Martian atmosphere are analyzed using temperature profiles retrieved from nadir observations obtained by the TIRVIM Fourier‐spectrometer, part of the Atmospheric Chemistry Suite onboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. The data is selected near the northern summer solstice at solar longitude (LS ) 75°–105° of Martian Year 35. The observations have a full local time coverage, which enables analyses of daily temperature anomalies. The observed zonal mean temperature is lower by 4–6 K at ∼100 Pa, but higher toward the summer pole, compared to the Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (LMD) Mars General Circulation Model (GCM). Wave mode decomposition shows dominant diurnal tide and important semi‐diurnal tide and diurnal Kelvin wave, with maximal amplitudes of 5, 3, and 2.5 K, respectively, from tens to hundreds of Pa. The results generally agree well with the LMD Mars GCM, but with noticeable earlier phases of diurnal (∼1 hr) and semi‐diurnal (∼3 hr) tides. Plain Language Summary: Unlike the Earth, daily temperature variation on Mars is as large as tens of degrees because of its thin atmosphere. The sunlight absorbed by the Martian surface and dust in the atmosphere leads to dramatic temperature increase in the lower atmosphere during daytime. Such large and regular changes can trigger temperature waves, and some modes of them can propagate into higher altitudes, where they become the major factor controlling the daily temperature variation. In this work, temperature profiles obtained using thermal‐infrared spectra are analyzed. Zonal mean temperature is compared with numerical simulations of the Martian atmosphere. Different types of the wave modes are computed through decomposition. Results from the observation agree well with model prediction when the observation mechanisms are taken into consideration. Estimation of the strength of these waves can be improved in the future with improved design of observation strategies. Key Points: Thermal tides in the Martian atmosphere are investigated using temperature profiles retrieved from TIRVIM nadir observations Diurnal tide dominates daily temperature variations; semi‐diurnal tide and diurnal Kelvin wave are also important Observations agree well with numerical simulations, but suggest phases of diurnal and semi‐diurnal tides earlier than predicted