Search Publications
The case for an ocean-bearing Mimas from tidal heating analysis
Rhoden, Alyssa Rose; Walker, Matthew E.
Cassini measurements of Mimas' physical libration can be explained by either a non-hydrostatic core or a global, liquid water ocean beneath a 24-31 km thick ice shell. An ocean within Mimas would be surprising, given the lack of comparable geologic activity to that observed on other ocean-bearing moons like Europa and Enceladus, and thus has impor…
The evidence for unusually high hydrogen abundances in the central part of Valles Marineris on Mars
Mitrofanov, I.; Zelenyi, L.; Malakhov, A. +6 more
Studies of hydrogen deposition in the shallow Martian subsurface have been conducted by two neutron and one gamma-ray detectors in the past and provided global hydrogen maps (Boynton et al., 2002; Feldman et al., 2002; Mitrofanov et al., 2002). It is known from these maps that hydrogen is most abundant in the polar permafrost areas compared to the…
The global distribution and morphologic characteristics of fan-shaped sedimentary landforms on Mars
Wilson, Sharon A.; Howard, Alan D.; Morgan, Alexander M.
Fan-shaped sedimentary landforms on Mars are important geomorphic markers of past water flow and characterizing the distribution and morphology of these features can yield insights into the planet's climatic evolution. We present a new database of 1501 martian fan-shaped sedimentary landforms that builds upon previous surveys and uses Context Came…
Troposphere-to-mesosphere microphysics of carbon dioxide ice clouds in a Mars Global Climate Model
Forget, F.; Montmessin, F.; González-Galindo, F. +10 more
We have implemented full CO2 ice cloud microphysics into the LMD Mars Global Climate Model (MGCM) and we have conducted the first global simulations. The microphysical model implementation follows the modal scheme used for water ice cloud microphysics in the MGCM, but includes specific aspects that need to be accounted for when dealing …
Vertical distribution of dust in the Martian atmosphere: OMEGA/MEx limb observations
Aoki, Shohei; Bellucci, Giancarlo; Altieri, Francesca +8 more
The OMEGA spectrometer on board Mars Express acquired several observations of the Martian limb that are still largely unexploited. Here, we explore the information content of these data in terms of abundance and size of the Martian atmospheric dust. We approach the dust retrievals by applying a full spherical multiple scattering Monte Carlo 1D rad…
Cellular patterns and dry convection in textured dust storms at the edge of Mars North Polar Cap
Sánchez-Lavega, A.; Matz, K. -D.; Tirsch, D. +9 more
We present a study of textured local dust storms that develop at the northern polar cap boundary on Mars springtime. We have used images obtained with VMC and HRSC cameras onboard Mars Express and MARCI on MRO to analyze dust storms captured from March to July 2019 (Ls = 350° in MY 34-Ls = 54° in MY 35). The textured storms grow in the longitude s…
The M3 project: 3 - Global abundance distribution of hydrated silicates at Mars
Poulet, François; Riu, Lucie; Carter, John
This paper is the third paper of a series that provides the modal mineralogy of the Martian surface (M3 project) at the global scale using near-infrared hyperspectral imagery. Numerous locations at the surface of Mars have previously been identified to harbor hydrated minerals which offer unique insights on the past water activity at th…
The rise time of the change of cometary brightness during its outburst
Wesołowski, Marcin
The paper presents a new method for determining the change in the brightness of a comet during an outburst in which particles are ejected into the coma at a uniform rate, i.e. via a long-lived jet. In the proposed approach, the mass flow rate by a jet and the time it takes to increase the brightness of the comet play key roles. Absolute values ado…
Late Amazonian dike-fed distributed volcanism in the Tharsis volcanic province on Mars
Pieterek, Bartosz; Lagain, Anthony; Ciazela, Marta +1 more
Tharsis is the largest volcanic province on Mars and in the solar system. This region includes major volcanoes (Olympus Mons, Alba Mons, Arsia Mons, Pavonis Mons, and Ascraeus Montes) and hundreds of small volcanic cones and vents, whose origin is not yet fully understood. Although the main Tharsis' edifices plumbing system has been extensively st…
Ozone vertical distribution in Mars Years 27-30 from SPICAM/MEX UV occultations
Montmessin, F.; Fedorova, A.; Korablev, O. +5 more
The SPICAM/MEX ultraviolet spectrometer probed the Martian atmosphere with the occultation method from 2004 until 2014. SPICAM/MEX performed both stellar and solar occultations during in total four Martian Years with good spatial and seasonal coverages. We have analyzed these occultations and performed a rigorous quality check of the retrievals to…