Martian Atmospheric H2O Vapor with Trace Gas Orbiter's NOMAD/LNO
Abstract
The Martian surface displays features such as dendritic channels that suggest it once had abundant flowing water on its surface. This picture is strongly contrasted with present day Mars, whose thin atmosphere and desiccated surface suggest a significant amount of water was lost to space or is being stored in sub-surface reservoirs. Martian atmospheric D/H and argon isotope analyses indicate Mars has lost an ocean of water from its surface and more than 66% of its atmosphere. Mapping the horizontal transport of fractionated atmospheric volatiles, such as H2O and HDO suggests there is geographic and seasonal variability in the exchange of volatiles from differing reservoirs. Here we present the first maps of H2O water vapor as observed by the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter 2016 (TGO) over a period of 10 months and across several Martian seasons. These observations reveal geographic, diurnal, and seasonal variations which partially agree and partially challenge advanced global circulation models. Horizontal transport affects our interpretation of global maps or in-situ analysis (such as the Mars Science Laboratory) of fractionated species, such as D/H. These maps can be instrumental in improving our current understanding of the Martian water cycle and volatile transport.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFM.P52C..02C
- Keywords:
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- 0343 Planetary atmospheres;
- ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE;
- 6225 Mars;
- PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS;
- 5405 Atmospheres;
- PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLID SURFACE PLANETS;
- 5445 Meteorology;
- PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLID SURFACE PLANETS