Search Publications
Stormy water on Mars: The distribution and saturation of atmospheric water during the dusty season
Montmessin, Franck; Belyaev, Denis A.; Fedorova, Anna A. +19 more
The loss of water from Mars to space is thought to result from the transport of water to the upper atmosphere, where it is dissociated to hydrogen and escapes the planet. Recent observations have suggested large, rapid seasonal intrusions of water into the upper atmosphere, boosting the hydrogen abundance. We use the Atmospheric Chemistry Suite on…
Explanation for the Increase in High-Altitude Water on Mars Observed by NOMAD During the 2018 Global Dust Storm
Aoki, S.; Vandaele, A. C.; Daerden, F. +21 more
The Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery (NOMAD) instrument on board ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter measured a large increase in water vapor at altitudes in the range of 40-100 km during the 2018 global dust storm on Mars. Using a three-dimensional general circulation model, we examine the mechanism responsible for the enhancement of water vapor in…
Strong Variability of Martian Water Ice Clouds During Dust Storms Revealed From ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter/NOMAD
Vandaele, Ann Carine; Aoki, Shohei; Thomas, Ian +12 more
Observations of water ice clouds and aerosols on Mars can provide important insights into the complexity of the water cycle. Recent observations have indicated an important link between dust activity and the water cycle, as intense dust activity can significantly raise the hygropause, and subsequently increase the escape of water after dissociatio…
Properties of Water Ice and Dust Particles in the Atmosphere of Mars During the 2018 Global Dust Storm as Inferred From the Atmospheric Chemistry Suite
Grigoriev, A.; Montmessin, F.; Fedorova, A. +6 more
The properties of Martian aerosols are an integral part of the planetary climatology. Global dust storms (GDS) significantly alter spatial and vertical distributions of dust and water ice aerosols and their microphysical properties. We explored the 2018/Martian year 34 GDS with the Atmospheric Chemistry Suite instrument onboard the ESA-Roscosmos T…
First observation of the magnetic dipole CO2 absorption band at 3.3 µm in the atmosphere of Mars by the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter ACS instrument
Montmessin, F.; Korablev, O.; Bertaux, J. -L. +8 more
The atmosphere of Mars is dominated by CO2, making it a natural laboratory for studying CO2 spectroscopy. The Atmospheric Chemistry Suite (ACS) on board the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter uses solar occultation geometry to search for minor atmospheric species. During the first year of ACS observations, the attention was focused on…
Martian Water Ice Clouds During the 2018 Global Dust Storm as Observed by the ACS-MIR Channel Onboard the Trace Gas Orbiter
Montmessin, F.; Fedorova, A.; Korablev, O. +8 more
The Atmospheric Chemistry Suite (ACS) instrument onboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) European Space Agency-Roscosmos mission began science operations in March 2018. ACS Mid-InfraRed (MIR) channel notably provides solar occultation observations of the Martian atmosphere in the 2.3- to 4.2-µ m spectral range. Here, we use these observa…
First detection of ozone in the mid-infrared at Mars: implications for methane detection
Montmessin, F.; Fedorova, A.; Korablev, O. +9 more
Aims: The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter was sent to Mars in March 2016 to search for trace gases diagnostic of active geological or biogenic processes.
Methods: We report the first observation of the spectral features of Martian ozone (O3) in the mid-infrared range using the Atmospheric Chemistry Suite Mid-InfaRed (MIR) channel, a…
Implications for the origin and evolution of Martian Recurring Slope Lineae at Hale crater from CaSSIS observations
Pajola, M.; Cremonese, G.; Thomas, N. +9 more
Recurring Slope Lineae (RSL) are narrow, dark features that typically source from rocky outcrops, incrementally lengthen down Martian steep slopes in warm seasons, fade in cold seasons and recur annually. In this study we report the first observations of RSL at Hale crater, Mars, during late southern summer by the Color and Surface Science Imaging…
Detection of green line emission in the dayside atmosphere of Mars from NOMAD-TGO observations
Aoki, S.; Vandaele, A. C.; Daerden, F. +13 more
The oxygen emission at 557.7 nm is a ubiquitous component of the spectrum of the terrestrial polar aurora and the reason for its usual green colour1. It is also observed as a thin layer of glow surrounding the Earth near 90 km altitude in the dayside atmosphere2,3 but it has so far eluded detection in other planets. Here we r…
Studies of the 2018/Mars Year 34 Planet-Encircling Dust Storm
Guzewich, S. D.; Fedorova, A. A.; Kahre, M. A. +1 more
Mars' planet-encircling or global dust storms (GDSs) are an iconic and enigmatic feature of the Red Planet. Occurring every few Mars Years (MYs), on average, they are a stochastic process in the otherwise largely repeatable annual cycle of martian weather. In 2018 (MY 34 in the calendar of Clancy et al. [2000],