•Detection of synchronous modulations of pressure and air and ground surface temperatures.•Diurnal and seasonal variation of dynamic pressure fluctuations.•Novel method to estimate winds at Gale ...Crater.•Year-to-year repeatability of these environmental phenomena.
The Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) instrument on-board the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) has acquired unprecedented measurements of key environmental variables at the base of Gale Crater. The pressure measured by REMS shows modulations with a very structured pattern of short-time scale (of the order of seconds to several minutes) mild fluctuations (typically up to 0.2 Pa at daytime and 1 Pa at night-time). These dynamic pressure oscillations are consistent with wind, air and ground temperature modulations measured simultaneously by REMS. We detect the signals of a repetitive pattern of upslope/downslope winds, with maximal speeds of about 21 m/s, associated with thermal changes in the air and surface temperatures, that are initiated after sunset and finish with sunrise proving that Gale, a 4.5 km deep impact crater, is an active Aeolian environment. At nighttime topographic slope winds are intense with maximal activity from 17:00 through 23:00 Local Mean Solar Time, and simultaneous changes of surface temperature are detected. During the day, the wind modulations are related to convection of the planetary boundary layer, winds are softer with maximum wind speed of about 14 m/s. The ground temperature is modulated by the forced convection of winds, with amplitudes between 0.2 K and 0.5 K, and the air temperatures fluctuate with amplitudes of about 2 K. The analysis of more than one and a half Martian years indicates the year-to-year repeatability of these environmental phenomena. The wind pattern minimizes at the beginning of the south hemisphere winter (Ls 90) season and maximizes during late spring and early summer (Ls 270). The procedure that we present here is a useful tool to investigate in a semi-quantitative way the winds by: i) filling both seasonal and diurnal gaps where wind measurements do not exist, ii) providing an alternative way for comparisons through different measuring principia and, iii) filling the gap of observation of short-time wind variability, where the REMS wind sensor is blind.
The recent in situ particle measurements near the Moon by Chandrayaan-1 and Kaguya missions as well as the earlier observation by the Lunar Prospector have shown that the Moon-solar wind interaction ...is more complicated than believed earlier. The new observations have arisen the need for a detailed modelling of the near surface plasma-surface processes and regions near the lunar magnetic anomalies. Especially, interpretation of ion, electron, and energetic neutral atoms (ENA) observations have shown that the plasma cannot be treated as a single fluid but that kinetic effects have to be taken into account.
We have studied the kinetic effects and, especially, the role of finite gyro-radius effects at the Moon by kinetic plasma simulations at three different length-scales which exist in the Moon-solar wind interaction. The solar wind interaction with a magnetic dipole, which mimics the lunar magnetic anomalies in this study, is investigated by a 3D self-consistent hybrid model (HYB-Moon) where protons are particles and electrons form a charge neutralizing mass less fluid. This study shows that the particle flux and density and the bulk velocity of the solar wind protons that hit the lunar surface just above the dipole are decreased compared to their undisturbed values. In addition, a particle “halo” region was identified in the simulation, a region around the dipole where the proton density and the particle flux are higher than in the solar wind, qualitatively in agreement with energetic hydrogen atom observations made by the Chandrayaan-1 mission.
The near surface plasma within the magnetic anomaly within a Debye sheath is studied by an electromagnetic Particle-in-Cell, PIC, simulation (HYB-es). In the PIC simulation both ions and electrons are treated as particles. Further, we assume in the PIC simulation that the magnetic anomaly blocks away all solar wind particles and the simulation contains only photo-electrons. The analysis shows that the increased magnetic field decreases the strength of the electric potential and results in a thinner potential sheath than without the magnetic field. Overall, the simulations give support for the suggestions that kinetic effects play an important role on the properties of the lunar plasma environment.
► We examine finite gyroradius effects in the solar wind interaction with the Moon. ► Global scale interaction and magnetic anomalies are studied with a 3D hybrid model. ► The potential sheath is studied with an electrostatic 1D Particle-in-Cell simulation. ► The finite ion and electron gyroradius was found to affect lunar plasma environment. ► Kinetic effects should be taken into account in lunar plasma models.
•Calculations indicate the air within Gale Crater is less dusty than expected.•Low dust within the crater reconciles column optical depths at MER-B and MSL.•REMS and Navcam comparison indicate ...vortices are unable to raise dust at Gale.•One optically thick dust devil is observed at 3-sigma level and described.•Dustless vortices, low in-crater dust consistent with modeled suppressed PBL modeled suppressed PBL.
The Navigation Cameras (Navcam) of the Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, have been used to examine two aspects of the planetary boundary layer: vertical dust distribution and dust devil frequency. The vertical distribution of dust may be obtained by using observations of the distant crater rim to derive a line-of-sight optical depth within Gale Crater and comparing this optical depth to column optical depths obtained using Mastcam observations of the solar disc. The line of sight method consistently produces lower extinctions within the crater compared to the bulk atmosphere. This suggests a relatively stable atmosphere in which dust may settle out leaving the air within the crater clearer than air above and explains the correlation in observed column opacity between the floor of Gale Crater and the higher elevation Meridiani Planum. In the case of dust devils, despite an extensive campaign only one optically thick vortex (τ=1.5±0.5×10−3) was observed compared to 149 pressure events >0.5Pa observed in REMS pressure data. Correcting for temporal coverage by REMS and geographic coverage by Navcam still suggests 104 vortices should have been viewable, suggesting that most vortices are dustless. Additionally, the most intense pressure excursions observed on other landing sites (pressure drop >2.5Pa) are lacking from the observations by the REMS instrument. Taken together, these observations are consistent with pre-landing circulation modeling of the crater showing a suppressed, shallow boundary layer. They are further consistent with geological observations of dust that suggests the northern portion of the crater is a sink for dust in the current era.
In December 2009 the EUROPLANET Research Infrastructure, a project funded by the European Community under the Capacities programme of the Seventh Framework Programme (grant agreement number 228319) ...and the International Space Science Institute, organized a workshop in Bern to overview and summarize our current knowledge on the plasma environments of Venus, Mars, and Titan. This was the rst workshop organized in the series of four planned in the networking activity NA-2 of Europlanet RI. Emphasis was on new results, since many excellent reviews were published recently. The comparison of the plasma environment of these three solar system objects was a primary focus of the workshop, which also aimed at dening directions for future research, through further use of existing data or development of new space missions.
We derive water vapor column abundances and aerosol properties from Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) ChemCam passive mode observations of scattered sky light. This paper covers the methodology and ...initial results for water vapor and also provides preliminary results for aerosols. The data set presented here includes the results of 113 observations spanning from Mars Year 31 L(s) = 291 deg (March 30, 2013) to Mars Year 33 L(s) = 127 deg (March 24, 2016). Each ChemCam passive sky observation acquires spectra at two different elevation angles. We fit these spectra with a discrete-ordinates multiple scattering radiative transfer model, using the correlated-k approximation for gas absorption bands. The retrieval proceeds by first fitting the continuum of the ratio of the two elevation angles to solve for aerosol properties, and then fitting the continuum-removed ratio to solve for gas abundances. The final step of the retrieval makes use of the observed CO 2 absorptions and the known CO 2 abundance to correct the retrieved water vapor abundance for the effects of the vertical distribution of scattering aerosols and to derive an aerosol scale height parameter. Our water vapor results give water vapor column abundance with a precision of +/-0.6 precipitable microns and systematic errors no larger than +/-0.3 precipitable microns, assuming uniform vertical mixing. The ChemCam-retrieved water abundances show, with only a few exceptions, the same seasonal behavior and the same timing of seasonal minima and maxima as the TES, CRISM, and REMS-H data sets that we compare them to. However ChemCam-retrieved water abundances are generally lower than zonal and regional scale from-orbit water vapor data, while at the same time being significantly larger than pre-dawn REMS-H abundances. Pending further analysis of REMS-H volume mixing ratio uncertainties, the differences between ChemCam and REMS-H pre-dawn mixing ratios appear to be much too large to be explained by large scale circulations and thus they tend to support the hypothesis of substantial diurnal interactions of water vapor with the surface. Our preliminary aerosol results, meanwhile, show the expected seasonal pattern in dust particle size but also indicate a surprising interannual increase in water-ice cloud opacities.
•Variations in opacity at MSL are up to 0.047 and match best with high altitude cloud.•Where formed, clouds have regular spacing and estimated wavelengths of 2.0 to 3.3km.•Lack of clouds suggests ...Gale is relatively dry; MSL experience suggests an icier early Phoenix mission.
We report on the first 360 sols (LS 150° to 5°), representing just over half a Martian year, of atmospheric monitoring movies acquired using the NavCam imager from the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Rover Curiosity. Such movies reveal faint clouds that are difficult to discern in single images. The data set acquired was divided into two different classifications depending upon the orientation and intent of the observation. Up to sol 360, 73 Zenith movies and 79 Supra-Horizon movies have been acquired and time-variable features could be discerned in 25 of each. The data set from MSL is compared to similar observations made by the Surface Stereo Imager (SSI) onboard the Phoenix Lander and suggests a much drier environment at Gale Crater (4.6°S) during this season than was observed in Green Valley (68.2°N) as would be expected based on latitude and the global water cycle. The optical depth of the variable component of clouds seen in images with features are up to 0.047±0.009 with a granularity to the features observed which averages 3.8°. MCS also observes clouds during the same period of comparable optical depth at 30 and 50km that would suggest a cloud spacing of 2.0 to 3.3km. Multiple motions visible in atmospheric movies support the presence of two distinct layers of clouds. At Gale Crater, these clouds are likely caused by atmospheric waves given the regular spacing of features observed in many Zenith movies and decreased spacing towards the horizon in sunset movies consistent with clouds forming at a constant elevation. Reanalysis of Phoenix data in the light of the NavCam equatorial dataset suggests that clouds may have been more frequent in the earlier portion of the Phoenix mission than was previously thought.
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