The climatology of carbon monoxide on Mars as observed by NOMAD nadir-geometry observations
Journal
Date Issued
2021
Author(s)
Smith, Michael D.
•
Daerden, Frank
•
Neary, Lori
•
Khayat, Alain S. J.
•
Holmes, James A.
•
Patel, Manish R.
•
Villanueva, Geronimo
•
Liuzzi, Giuliano
•
Thomas, Ian R.
•
Ristic, Bojan
•
•
Lopez-Moreno, Jose Juan
•
Vandaele, Ann Carine
Abstract
More than a full Martian year of observations have now been made by the Nadir Occultation for MArs Discovery (NOMAD) instrument suite on-board the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. Radiative transfer modeling of NOMAD observations taken in the nadir geometry enable the seasonal and global-scale variations of carbon monoxide gas in the Martian atmosphere to be characterized. These retrievals show the column-averaged volume mixing ratio of carbon monoxide to be about 800 ppmv, with significant variations at high latitudes caused by the condensation and sublimation of the background CO2 gas. Near summer solstice in each hemisphere, the CO volume mixing ratio falls to 400 ppmv in the south and 600 ppmv in the north. At low latitudes, carbon monoxide volume mixing ratio inversely follows the annual cycle of surface pressure. Comparison of our retrieved CO volume mixing ratio against that computed by the GEM-Mars general circulation model reveals a good match in their respective seasonal and spatial trends, and can provide insight into the physical processes that control the distribution of CO gas in the current Martian atmosphere.
Volume
362
Start page
114404
Issn Identifier
0019-1035
Ads BibCode
2021Icar..36214404S
Rights
open.access
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