Search Publications
Seasonal reappearance of HCl in the atmosphere of Mars during the Mars year 35 dusty season
Forget, F.; Montmessin, F.; Irwin, P. G. J. +15 more
Hydrogen chloride was discovered in the atmosphere of Mars for the first time during the global dust storm in Mars year (MY) 34 (July 2018) using the Atmospheric Chemistry Suite mid-infrared channel (ACS MIR) on the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. The simultaneity of variations in dust and HCl, and a correlation between water vapour and HCl, led to the…
Day-night differences in Mars methane suggest nighttime containment at Gale crater
Atreya, Sushil K.; Vasavada, Ashwin R.; Moores, John E. +10 more
We report new measurements of atmospheric methane by the Curiosity rover's Tunable Laser Spectrometer that is part of the Sample Analysis at Mars suite (TLS-SAM), finding nondetections during two daytime measurements of average value 0.05 ± 0.22 ppbv (95% confidence interval CI). These are in marked contrast with nighttime background levels of 0.5…
A stringent upper limit of 20 pptv for methane on Mars and constraints on its dispersion outside Gale crater
Daerden, F.; Forget, F.; Montmessin, F. +17 more
Context. Reports on the detection of methane in the Martian atmosphere have motivated numerous studies aiming to confirm or explain its presence on a planet where it might imply a biogenic or more likely a geophysical origin.
Aims: Our intent is to complement and improve on the previously reported detection attempts by the Atmospheric Chemist…
Isotopes of chlorine from HCl in the Martian atmosphere
Montmessin, F.; Korablev, O.; Fedorova, A. A. +7 more
Hydrogen chloride gas was recently discovered in the atmosphere of Mars during southern summer seasons. Its connection with potential chlorine reservoirs and the related atmospheric chemistry is now of particular interest and actively studied. Measurements by the Atmospheric Chemistry Suite mid-infrared channel (ACS MIR) on the ExoMars Trace Gas O…
Upper limits for phosphine (PH3) in the atmosphere of Mars
Patel, M. R.; Montmessin, F.; Irwin, P. G. J. +12 more
Phosphine (PH3) is proposed to be a possible biomarker in planetary atmospheres and has been claimed to have been observed in the atmosphere of Venus, sparking interest in the habitability of Venus's atmosphere. Observations of another biomarker, methane (CH4), have been reported several times in the atmosphere of Mars, hinti…