Variations in Vertical CO/CO2 Profiles in the Martian Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere Measured by the ExoMars TGO/NOMAD: Implications of Variations in Eddy Diffusion Coefficient

Nao Yoshida, Hiromu Nakagawa, Shohei Aoki, Justin Erwin, Ann Carine Vandaele, Frank Daerden, Ian Thomas, Loïc Trompet, Shungo Koyama, Naoki Terada, Lori Neary, Isao Murata, Geronimo Villanueva, Giuliano Liuzzi, Miguel Angel Lopez-Valverde, Adrian Brines, Ashimananda Modak, Yasumasa Kasaba, Bojan Ristic, Giancarlo BellucciJosé Juan López-Moreno, Manish Patel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Using the Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery instrument aboard Trace Gas Orbiter, we derived the CO/CO2 profiles between 75 and 105 km altitude with the equivalent width technique. The derived CO/CO2 profiles showed significant seasonal variations in the southern hemisphere with decreases near perihelion and increases near aphelion. The estimation of the CO/CO2 profiles with a one-dimensional photochemical model shows that an altitude-dependent eddy diffusion coefficient better reproduces the observed profiles than a vertically uniform one. Our estimation suggests that the eddy diffusion coefficient in Ls = 240–270 is uniformly larger by a factor of ∼2 than that in Ls = 90–120 in the southern hemisphere, while they are comparable in the northern hemisphere. This fact demonstrates that the eddy diffusion coefficient is variable with season and latitude.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere2022GL098485
JournalGeophysical Research Letters
Volume49
Issue number10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022 May 28

Keywords

  • Mars
  • atmospheric composition
  • eddy diffusion coefficient
  • mesosphere
  • retrieval
  • spectroscopy

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geophysics
  • Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)

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