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EP: Extraterrestrische Physik
EP 2: Extraterrestrik-Poster
EP 2.9: Poster
Monday, March 18, 2002, 13:30–14:30, Galerie 1
Non-LTE Diagnostics of the High Altitude CO2 Hot Band Observations on Mars by the Orbiting Thermal Emission Spectrometer — •A.A. Kutepov1, W.C. Maguire2, J.C. Pearl2, M.D. Smith2, B.J. Conrath3, O.A. Gusev4, and P.R. Christensen5 — 1MPI for Extraterrestrial Physics and NASA/GSFC — 2NASA/GSFC — 3Cornell University — 4University of Wuppertal — 5Arizona State University
Using 12.5 cm-1 resolution MGS/TES limb observations from four Martian seasons (Ls=104-124, 170-190, 260-280 and 350-10), we have produced limb-geometry spectral averages from 40-120 km above the limb at 3 km resolution. Observations in the middle atmosphere (60-80 km) of Mars exhibit strong non-LTE IR emission in the 9.4 and 10.4um CO2 hot bands. The emission varies systematically with solar zenith angle and season. At both equinoxes, the emitting region is approximately centered on the equator, while at each solstice the region is centered at a low latitude in its respective summer hemisphere. We describe the CO2 non-LTE model for the Martian atmosphere which reproduces well observed features and provides good quantitative agreement between theory and observations. The non-LTE infra-red radiative cooling/heating rates of Martian atmosphere for four seasons are discussed. This work was supported in part by NASA’s Mars Data Analysis Program. NAS/NRC funding was provided by NASA’s RRA Program.