The Vertical Dust Profile over Gale Crater

S. Guzewich; C. E. Newman; M. D. Smith; J. Moores; C. L. Smith; C. Moore; M. I. Richardson; D. M. Kass; A. Kleinboehl; F. J. Martin-Torres; M. P. Zorzano; J. M. Battalio

The Vertical Dust Profile over Gale Crater

S. Guzewich, C. E. Newman, M. D. Smith, J. Moores, C. L. Smith, C. Moore, M. I. Richardson, D. M. Kass, A. Kleinboehl, F. J. Martin-Torres, M. P. Zorzano, J. M. Battalio

Geology and Geophysics

Research output: Contribution to conference › Unpublished paper

Abstract

Regular joint observations of the atmosphere over Gale Crater from the orbiting Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter/Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) and Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover allow us to create a coarse, but complete, vertical profile of dust mixing ratio from the surface to the upper atmosphere. We split the atmospheric column into three regions: the planetary boundary layer (PBL) within Gale Crater that is directly sampled by MSL (typically extending from the surface to 2-6 km in height), the region of atmosphere sampled by MCS profiles (typically 25-80 km above the surface), and the region of atmosphere between these two layers. Using atmospheric optical depth measurements from the Rover Environmental Monitoring System (REMS) ultraviolet photodiodes (in conjunction with MSL Mast Camera solar imaging), line-of-sight opacity measurements with the MSL Navigation Cameras (NavCam), and an estimate of the PBL depth from the MarsWRF general circulation model, we can directly calculate the dust mixing ratio within the Gale Crater PBL and then solve for the dust mixing ratio in the middle layer above Gale Crater but below the atmosphere sampled by MCS. Each atmospheric layer has a unique seasonal cycle of dust opacity, with Gale Crater's PBL reaching a maximum in dust mixing ratio near Ls = 270° and a minimum near Ls = 90°. The layer above Gale Crater, however, has a seasonal cycle that closely follows the global opacity cycle and reaches a maximum near Ls = 240° and exhibits a local minimum (associated with the "solsticial pauses") near Ls = 270°. Knowing the complete vertical profile also allows us to determine the frequency of high-altitude dust layers above Gale, and whether such layers truly exhibit the maximum dust mixing ratio within the entire vertical column. We find that 20% of MCS profiles contain an "absolute" high-altitude dust layer, i.e., one in which the dust mixing ratio within the high-altitude dust layer is the maximum dust mixing ratio in the vertical column of atmosphere over Gale Crater.

Original language	English
Publication status	Published - 1 Dec 2017
Event	2017 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting - New Orleans, United States Duration: 11 Dec 2017 → 15 Nov 2018

Conference

Conference	2017 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting
Country/Territory	United States
City	New Orleans
Period	11/12/17 → 15/11/18

Bibliographical note

P23D-2758

Keywords

3346 Planetary meteorology
ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES
6225 Mars
PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS
5405 Atmospheres
PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLID SURFACE PLANETS
5445 Meteorology

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFM.P23D2758G

Cite this

Guzewich, S., Newman, C. E., Smith, M. D., Moores, J., Smith, C. L., Moore, C., Richardson, M. I., Kass, D. M., Kleinboehl, A., Martin-Torres, F. J., Zorzano, M. P., & Battalio, J. M. (2017). The Vertical Dust Profile over Gale Crater. Paper presented at 2017 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFM.P23D2758G

Guzewich, S, Newman, CE, Smith, MD, Moores, J, Smith, CL, Moore, C, Richardson, MI, Kass, DM, Kleinboehl, A, Martin-Torres, FJ, Zorzano, MP & Battalio, JM 2017, 'The Vertical Dust Profile over Gale Crater', Paper presented at 2017 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, New Orleans, United States, 11/12/17 - 15/11/18. <https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFM.P23D2758G>

@conference{3ed1548a8ca14fc7990ebc2c7518d846,

title = "The Vertical Dust Profile over Gale Crater",

abstract = "Regular joint observations of the atmosphere over Gale Crater from the orbiting Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter/Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) and Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover allow us to create a coarse, but complete, vertical profile of dust mixing ratio from the surface to the upper atmosphere. We split the atmospheric column into three regions: the planetary boundary layer (PBL) within Gale Crater that is directly sampled by MSL (typically extending from the surface to 2-6 km in height), the region of atmosphere sampled by MCS profiles (typically 25-80 km above the surface), and the region of atmosphere between these two layers. Using atmospheric optical depth measurements from the Rover Environmental Monitoring System (REMS) ultraviolet photodiodes (in conjunction with MSL Mast Camera solar imaging), line-of-sight opacity measurements with the MSL Navigation Cameras (NavCam), and an estimate of the PBL depth from the MarsWRF general circulation model, we can directly calculate the dust mixing ratio within the Gale Crater PBL and then solve for the dust mixing ratio in the middle layer above Gale Crater but below the atmosphere sampled by MCS. Each atmospheric layer has a unique seasonal cycle of dust opacity, with Gale Crater's PBL reaching a maximum in dust mixing ratio near Ls = 270° and a minimum near Ls = 90°. The layer above Gale Crater, however, has a seasonal cycle that closely follows the global opacity cycle and reaches a maximum near Ls = 240° and exhibits a local minimum (associated with the {"}solsticial pauses{"}) near Ls = 270°. Knowing the complete vertical profile also allows us to determine the frequency of high-altitude dust layers above Gale, and whether such layers truly exhibit the maximum dust mixing ratio within the entire vertical column. We find that 20% of MCS profiles contain an {"}absolute{"} high-altitude dust layer, i.e., one in which the dust mixing ratio within the high-altitude dust layer is the maximum dust mixing ratio in the vertical column of atmosphere over Gale Crater. ",

keywords = "3346 Planetary meteorology, ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES, 6225 Mars, PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS, 5405 Atmospheres, PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLID SURFACE PLANETS, 5445 Meteorology",

author = "S. Guzewich and Newman, {C. E.} and Smith, {M. D.} and J. Moores and Smith, {C. L.} and C. Moore and Richardson, {M. I.} and Kass, {D. M.} and A. Kleinboehl and Martin-Torres, {F. J.} and Zorzano, {M. P.} and Battalio, {J. M.}",

note = "P23D-2758; 2017 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting ; Conference date: 11-12-2017 Through 15-11-2018",

year = "2017",

month = dec,

day = "1",

language = "English",

}

TY - CONF

T1 - The Vertical Dust Profile over Gale Crater

AU - Guzewich, S.

AU - Newman, C. E.

AU - Smith, M. D.

AU - Moores, J.

AU - Smith, C. L.

AU - Moore, C.

AU - Richardson, M. I.

AU - Kass, D. M.

AU - Kleinboehl, A.

AU - Martin-Torres, F. J.

AU - Zorzano, M. P.

AU - Battalio, J. M.

N1 - P23D-2758

PY - 2017/12/1

Y1 - 2017/12/1

N2 - Regular joint observations of the atmosphere over Gale Crater from the orbiting Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter/Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) and Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover allow us to create a coarse, but complete, vertical profile of dust mixing ratio from the surface to the upper atmosphere. We split the atmospheric column into three regions: the planetary boundary layer (PBL) within Gale Crater that is directly sampled by MSL (typically extending from the surface to 2-6 km in height), the region of atmosphere sampled by MCS profiles (typically 25-80 km above the surface), and the region of atmosphere between these two layers. Using atmospheric optical depth measurements from the Rover Environmental Monitoring System (REMS) ultraviolet photodiodes (in conjunction with MSL Mast Camera solar imaging), line-of-sight opacity measurements with the MSL Navigation Cameras (NavCam), and an estimate of the PBL depth from the MarsWRF general circulation model, we can directly calculate the dust mixing ratio within the Gale Crater PBL and then solve for the dust mixing ratio in the middle layer above Gale Crater but below the atmosphere sampled by MCS. Each atmospheric layer has a unique seasonal cycle of dust opacity, with Gale Crater's PBL reaching a maximum in dust mixing ratio near Ls = 270° and a minimum near Ls = 90°. The layer above Gale Crater, however, has a seasonal cycle that closely follows the global opacity cycle and reaches a maximum near Ls = 240° and exhibits a local minimum (associated with the "solsticial pauses") near Ls = 270°. Knowing the complete vertical profile also allows us to determine the frequency of high-altitude dust layers above Gale, and whether such layers truly exhibit the maximum dust mixing ratio within the entire vertical column. We find that 20% of MCS profiles contain an "absolute" high-altitude dust layer, i.e., one in which the dust mixing ratio within the high-altitude dust layer is the maximum dust mixing ratio in the vertical column of atmosphere over Gale Crater.

AB - Regular joint observations of the atmosphere over Gale Crater from the orbiting Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter/Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) and Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover allow us to create a coarse, but complete, vertical profile of dust mixing ratio from the surface to the upper atmosphere. We split the atmospheric column into three regions: the planetary boundary layer (PBL) within Gale Crater that is directly sampled by MSL (typically extending from the surface to 2-6 km in height), the region of atmosphere sampled by MCS profiles (typically 25-80 km above the surface), and the region of atmosphere between these two layers. Using atmospheric optical depth measurements from the Rover Environmental Monitoring System (REMS) ultraviolet photodiodes (in conjunction with MSL Mast Camera solar imaging), line-of-sight opacity measurements with the MSL Navigation Cameras (NavCam), and an estimate of the PBL depth from the MarsWRF general circulation model, we can directly calculate the dust mixing ratio within the Gale Crater PBL and then solve for the dust mixing ratio in the middle layer above Gale Crater but below the atmosphere sampled by MCS. Each atmospheric layer has a unique seasonal cycle of dust opacity, with Gale Crater's PBL reaching a maximum in dust mixing ratio near Ls = 270° and a minimum near Ls = 90°. The layer above Gale Crater, however, has a seasonal cycle that closely follows the global opacity cycle and reaches a maximum near Ls = 240° and exhibits a local minimum (associated with the "solsticial pauses") near Ls = 270°. Knowing the complete vertical profile also allows us to determine the frequency of high-altitude dust layers above Gale, and whether such layers truly exhibit the maximum dust mixing ratio within the entire vertical column. We find that 20% of MCS profiles contain an "absolute" high-altitude dust layer, i.e., one in which the dust mixing ratio within the high-altitude dust layer is the maximum dust mixing ratio in the vertical column of atmosphere over Gale Crater.

KW - 3346 Planetary meteorology

KW - ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES

KW - 6225 Mars

KW - PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS

KW - 5405 Atmospheres

KW - PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLID SURFACE PLANETS

KW - 5445 Meteorology

M3 - Unpublished paper

T2 - 2017 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting

Y2 - 11 December 2017 through 15 November 2018

ER -

The Vertical Dust Profile over Gale Crater

Abstract

Conference

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

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