Polar warming in the middle atmosphere of Mars

Journal Article · Thu May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1986 · Icarus; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0019-1035(86)90165-X· OSTI ID:7262155

Deming, D; Mumma, M J; Espenak, F; Kostiuk, T; Zipoy, D

During the 1984 Mars opposition, ground-based laser heterodyne spectroscopy was obtained for the nonthermal core emission of the 10.33-micron R(8) and 10.72-micron P(32) lines of C-12(O-16)2 at 23 locations on the Martian disk. It is deduced on the basis of these data that the temperature of the middle Martian atmosphere varies with latitude, and a meridional gradient of 0.4-0.9 K/deg latitude is indicated. The highest temperatures are noted to lie at high latitudes in the winter hemisphere; as in the terrestrial case of seasonal effects at the menopause, this winter polar warming in the Martian middle atmosphere requires departures from radiative equilibrium. Two-dimensional circulation model comparisons with these results indicate that atmospheric dust may enhance this dynamical heating at high winter latitudes. 43 references.

• Research Organization: NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD; Maryland Univ., College Park
• OSTI ID: 7262155
• Journal Information: Icarus; (United States), Vol. 66
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
MARS PLANET
PLANETARY ATMOSPHERES
CARBON DIOXIDE
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
EMISSION SPECTRA
HEATING
LASER SPECTROSCOPY
TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT
ATMOSPHERES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANETS
SPECTRA
SPECTROSCOPY
640107* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Planetary Phenomena