Seasonal variation of the atmospheric energy budget on Mars
Abstract
We compute a detailed Lorenz energy budget [1] to improve our understanding of the dynamical circulation of the martian atmosphere. Results suggest that the circulation of the martian atmosphere is is governed mostly by baroclinic instability, except during a 2 to 3 month long period around the northern hemisphere winter solstice when barotropic and baroclinic instabilites coincide. The difference between diurnally averaged quantities and the full energy budget also indicate a major role for diurnal tides in enabling a direct transfer of energy from diurnal heating to eddy potential and kinetic energy.
- Publication:
-
European Planetary Science Congress
- Pub Date:
- April 2014
- Bibcode:
- 2014EPSC....9..734T