Computer Science – Sound
Scientific paper
Dec 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufm.p51e..10b&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #P51E-10
Computer Science
Sound
[0343] Atmospheric Composition And Structure / Planetary Atmospheres, [5405] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Atmospheres, [5462] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Polar Regions, [6225] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Mars
Scientific paper
Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has collected limb observations starting in September 2006. MCS is a nine channel infrared radiometer with limb staring arrays optimized for atmospheric sounding. Retrievals have been performed on the observations to produce vertical profiles of temperature and water ice opacity (at 12 µm), extending from the surface to ~80 km. The limb sounding geometry is sensitive to very modest layers of ice due to the factor of 50 increase in the path length compared to nadir sounding. We examined the vertical structure of ice and how the temperature structure controls the ice in the north polar hood (NPH), south polar hood (SPH), and the tropics at night (3 am) and day (3 pm). In the NPH clouds extend in altitude from 10 to 40 km (300 to 5 Pa) above the surface and exhibit one cloud layer. SPH clouds have two cloud layers but the altitude varies between night and day. The daytime clouds form between 10 and 40 km (100 to 4 Pa) whereas the nighttime clouds only extend to 30 km (10 Pa) above the surface. In the tropics during northern summer the nighttime clouds increase in altitude from 20 to 4 Pa throughout the season, reaching their maximum altitude just before northern fall equinox. Daytime clouds in the tropics form at ~20 Pa throughout northern summer. The NPH, SPH, and clouds in the tropics all show variability due to the diurnal thermal tide; however it influences the clouds differently. At times the NPH cloud optical depth is greater at night than day due to the diurnal thermal tide. From Ls=140°-200°, the daytime SPH clouds form about 15° further south than at night due to tidally-driven diurnal temperature differences. In the tropics a cloud layer moves up and down in altitude with the diurnal thermal tide during late summer. These results indicate that the clouds are primarily controlled by the temperature structure and form at the water condensation level. Work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, was performed under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Benson Ja.
Heavens Nicholas G.
Kass David
McS Science Team
No associations
LandOfFree
Water Ice Cloud Observations from Mars Climate Sounder does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Water Ice Cloud Observations from Mars Climate Sounder, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Water Ice Cloud Observations from Mars Climate Sounder will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1498702