The seasonal and global behavior of water vapor in the Mars atmosphere - Complete global results of the Viking atmospheric water detector experiment
Abstract
A key question regarding the evolution of Mars is related to the behavior of its volatiles. The present investigation is concerned with the global and seasonal abundances of water vapor in the Mars atmosphere as mapped by the Viking Mars Atmospheric Water Detector (MAWD) instrument for almost 1-1/2 Martian years from June 1976 to April 1979. Attention is given to the implications of the observed variations for determining the relative importance of those processes which may be controlling the vapor cycle on a seasonal basis. The processes considered include buffering of the atmosphere water by a surface or subsurface reservior of ground ice, physically adsorbed water, or chemically bound water. Other processes are related to the supply of water from the residual or seasonal north polar ice cap, the redistribution of the vapor resulting from atmospheric circulation, and control of the vapor holding capacity of the atmosphere by the local atmospheric temperatures.
- Publication:
-
Journal of Geophysical Research
- Pub Date:
- April 1982
- DOI:
- 10.1029/JB087iB04p02999
- Bibcode:
- 1982JGR....87.2999J
- Keywords:
-
- Annual Variations;
- Atmospheric Moisture;
- Mars Atmosphere;
- Viking Orbiter Spacecraft;
- Water Vapor;
- Atmospheric Circulation;
- Atmospheric Temperature;
- Carbon Dioxide;
- Data Reduction;
- Dust Storms;
- Polar Caps;
- MARS;
- ATMOSPHERE;
- WATER;
- VAPOR;
- SEASONAL VARIATIONS;
- VIKING;
- MAWD;
- MARS ATMOSPHERIC WATER DETECTOR;
- ABUNDANCE;
- DATA REDUCTION;
- PRESSURE;
- SURFACE;
- LATITUDES;
- REGOLITH;
- GRADIENTS;
- FLOW;
- TRANSPORT;
- POLAR REGIONS;
- CONDENSATION;
- ICE CAPS;
- DISTRIBUTION;
- TOPOGRAPHY;
- MIXING;
- ALBEDO;
- MAPS;
- THERMAL EFFECTS;
- TEMPERATURE;
- ADSORPTION;
- TECHNIQUES;
- PHOTOGRAPHS;
- DATA;
- ORBITER;
- SOLIS LACUS