Keating GM, Bougher SW, Zurek RW, Tolson RH, Cancro GJ, Noll SN, Parker JS, Schellenberg TJ, Shane RW, Wilkerson BL, Murphy JR, Hollingsworth JL, Haberle RM, Joshi M, Pearl JC, Conrath BJ, Smith MD, Clancy RT, Blanchard RC, Wilmoth RG, Rault DF, Martin TZ, Lyons DT, Esposito PB, Johnston MD, Whetzel CW, Justus CG, Babicke JM. The structure of the upper atmosphere of mars: In situ accelerometer measurements from mars global surveyor.
Science 1998;
279:1672-6. [PMID:
9497278 DOI:
10.1126/science.279.5357.1672]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 215] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) z-axis accelerometer has obtained over 200 vertical structures of thermospheric density, temperature, and pressure, ranging from 110 to 170 kilometers, compared to only three previous such vertical structures. In November 1997, a regional dust storm in the Southern Hemisphere triggered an unexpectedly large thermospheric response at mid-northern latitudes, increasing the altitude of thermospheric pressure surfaces there by as much as 8 kilometers and indicating a strong global thermospheric response to a regional dust storm. Throughout the MGS mission, thermospheric density bulges have been detected on opposite sides of the planet near 90 degreesE and 90 degreesW, in the vicinity of maximum terrain heights. This wave 2 pattern may be caused by topographically-forced planetary waves propagating up from the lower atmosphere.
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