1 1/2 Dimensional Model of the Martian Ionosphere

A meridional model of the Martian upper atmosphere has been developed that considers altitudes between 80 and 400 km as one dimension and a 600 km span of flat-Martian-surface with fixed solar zenith angle as the partial horizontal dimension. The model assumes solar medium conditions and a standard neutral atmosphere to generate an ionosphere of the five major ions (O2+, O+, CO2+, N2+ and NO+). The processes that dominate the production, loss and transport of ions are photochemistry and diffusion (both vertical and along the meridian). In this work, the modeled effects of a spatially-confined dipole-like crustal magnetic field on the ionosphere are studied. While the electron and major ion densities remain largely unaffected at peak density altitudes, differences emerge at altitudes above 220 km that include species-dependent vertical fluxes in regions of high inclination angles.