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Stratigraphy of Promethei Lingula, south polar layered deposits, Mars, in radar and imaging data sets
Plaut, J. J.; Picardi, G.; Safaeinili, A. +3 more
The south polar layered deposits (SPLD) of Mars have been studied through imagery for decades. Now, two subsurface sounding radar instruments have collected data: the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS) instrument on Mars Express and the Shallow Radar (SHARAD) instrument on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are observing…
Visible and near-infrared nightglow of molecular oxygen in the atmosphere of Venus
Drossart, P.; Piccioni, G.; García Muñoz, A. +2 more
The Herzberg II system of O2 has been a known feature of Venus' nightglow since the Venera 9 and 10 orbiters detected its c(0)-X(v″) progression more than 3 decades ago. We search for its emission at 400 nm-700 nm in spectra obtained with the VIRTIS instrument on Venus Express. Despite the weakness of the signal, integration over a few …
Evidence for carbonyl sulfide (OCS) conversion to CO in the lower atmosphere of Venus
Bézard, B.; Marcq, E.; Yung, Yuk L. +4 more
The chemical regimes in the atmosphere of Venus vary from photochemistry in the middle atmosphere to thermal equilibrium chemistry in the lower atmosphere and the surface. Many chemical cycles have been proposed, but few details about these cycles are fully verified by comparison between observations and modeling. Recent high-quality data of carbo…
Cloud features and zonal wind measurements of Saturn's atmosphere as observed by Cassini/VIMS
Brown, R. H.; Showman, A. P.; Choi, D. S.
We present an analysis of data about Saturn's atmosphere from Cassini's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS), focusing on the meteorology of the features seen in the 5 µm spectral window. We present VIMS mosaics and discuss the morphology and general characteristics of the features backlit by Saturn's thermal emission. We have als…
Climate evolution of Venus
Taylor, F.; Grinspoon, D.
The processes in the atmosphere, interior, surface, and near-space environment that together maintain the climate on Venus are examined from the specific point of view of the advances that are possible with new data from Venus Express and improved evolutionary climate models. Particular difficulties, opportunities, and prospects for the next gener…
Gravity waves in the upper atmosphere of Venus revealed by CO2 nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium emissions
Drossart, P.; Piccioni, G.; Occhipinti, G. +2 more
The imaging capabilities of the Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer-Mapper (VIRTIS-M) onboard Venus Express mission are used to analyze perturbations of CO2 nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium emissions in the thermosphere of Venus. These emissions with a wavelength of 4.3 µm originate from the 110-140 km altitude ran…
Cone fields in SW Elysium Planitia: Hydrothermal venting on Mars?
Lanz, Julia K.; Saric, Matthias B.
We have studied a large cone field in SW Elysium Planitia that shows unique characteristics that have, as yet, not been described elsewhere on Mars. Pitted cones and cone fields are quite common on Mars and the Elysium Planitia region where they have been mainly interpreted as pseudocraters. The cones in the study area differ from cones elsewhere …
Limb observations of CO2 and CO non-LTE emissions in the Venus atmosphere by VIRTIS/Venus Express
Erard, S.; López-Valverde, M. A.; Gilli, G. +3 more
We report and analyze here observations of strong infrared emissions from the limb of the Venus upper atmosphere during daytime, taken by the Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS) aboard Venus Express. We focus on the measurements taken during the first 4 months of nominal operations. The emissions observed at 4.3 µm and…
Characteristics of large Martian dust devils using Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System visual and infrared images
Towner, M. C.
A search for Martian dust devils has been carried out, using Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) visible-wavelength images. Simultaneous THEMIS thermal infrared wavelength images were then processed and analyzed to investigate the thermal properties of the dust devils observed; 3079 images were checked, concentrating on northern …
Sounding the subsurface of Athabasca Valles using MARSIS radar data: Exploring the volcanic and fluvial hypotheses for the origin of the rafted plate terrain
Gurnett, Donald A.; Frigeri, Alessandro; Heggy, Essam +8 more
To test the volcanic and fluvial hypotheses for the origin of the rafted plate terrain observed in the vicinity of Athabasca Valles (5°N, 150°E, Central Elysium Planitia), we investigated the subsurface radar echo from the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) 5-MHz band data over this area. The backscattered signal l…