The atmosphere of Mars as observed by InSight
Authors:Banfield, DonSpiga, AymericNewman, ClaireForget, FrancoisLemmon, MarkLorenz, RalphMurdoch, NaomiViudez-Moreiras, DanielPla-Garcia, JorgeGarcia, Raphael F.Lognonne, PhilippeKaratekin, OzgurPerrin, ClementMartire, LeoTeanby, NicholasHove, Bart VanMaki, Justin N.Kenda, BalthasarMueller, Nils T.Rodriguez, SebastienKawamura, TaichiMcClean, John B.Stott, Alexander E.Charalambous, ConstantinosMillour, EhouarnJohnson, Catherine L.Mittelholz, AnnaMaattanen, AnniLewis, Stephen R.Clinton, JohnStaehler, Simon C.Ceylan, SavasGiardini, DomenicoWarren, TristramPike, William T.Daubar, IngridGolombek, MatthewRolland, LucieWidmer-Schnidrig, RudolfMimoun, DavidBeucler, EricJacob, AliceLucas, AntoineBaker, MariahAnsan, VeroniqueHurst, KennethMora-Sotomayor, LuisNavarro, SaraTorres, JosefinaLepinette, AlainMolina, AntonioMarin-Jimenez, MercedesGomez-Elvira, JavierPeinado, VeronicaRodriguez-Manfredi, Jose-AntonioCarcich, Brian T.Sackett, StephenRussell, Christopher T.Spohn, TilmanSmrekar, Suzanne E.Banerdt, W. Bruce
Source:NATURE GEOSCIENCE
Volume:13
Published:2020
Document Type:Article
Abstract:The atmosphere of Mars is thin, although rich in dust aerosols, and covers a dry surface. As such, Mars provides an opportunity to expand our knowledge of atmospheres beyond that attainable from the atmosphere of the Earth. The InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) lander is measuring Mars's atmosphere with unprecedented continuity, accuracy and sampling frequency. Here we show that InSight unveils new atmospheric phenomena at Mars, especially in the higher-frequency range, and extends our understanding of Mars's meteorology at all scales. InSight is uniquely sensitive to large-scale and regional weather and obtained detailed in situ coverage of a regional dust storm on Mars. Images have enabled high-altitude wind speeds to be measured and revealed airglow-faint emissions produced by photochemical reactions-in the middle atmosphere. InSight observations show a paradox of aeolian science on Mars: despite having the largest recorded Martian vortex activity and dust-devil tracks close to the lander, no visible dust devils have been seen. Meteorological measurements have produced a catalogue of atmospheric gravity waves, which included bores (soliton-like waves). From these measurements, we have discovered Martian infrasound and unexpected similarities between atmospheric turbulence on Earth and Mars. We suggest that the observations of Mars's atmosphere by InSight will be key for prediction capabilities and future exploration. The InSight lander has expanded our knowledge of the atmosphere of Mars by observing various phenomena, including airglow, bores, infrasound and Earth-like turbulence.
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Reprint Address:Banfield, D (corresponding author), Cornell Univ, Cornell Ctr Astrophys & Planetary Sci, Ithaca, NY 14850 USA.; Spiga, A (corresponding author), Sorbonne Univ, Ecole Polytech, LMD, IPSL,CNRS,ENS, Paris, France.; Spiga, A (corresponding author), Inst Univ France, Paris, France.
Addresses:[Banfield, Don; Carcich, Brian T.; Sackett, Stephen] Cornell Univ, Cornell Ctr Astrophys & Planetary Sci, Ithaca, NY 14850 USA. [Spiga, Aymeric; Forget, Francois; Millour, Ehouarn] Sorbonne Univ, Ecole Polytech, LMD, IPSL,CNRS,ENS, Paris, France. [Spiga, Aymeric; Lognonne, Philippe; Rodriguez, Sebastien] Inst Univ France, Paris, France. [Newman, Claire] Aeolis Res, Chandler, AZ USA. [Lemmon, Mark; Pla-Garcia, Jorge] Space Sci Inst, Boulder, CO USA. [Lorenz, Ralph] Johns Hopkins Univ, Appl Phys Lab, Laurel, MD USA. [Murdoch, Naomi; Garcia, Raphael F.; Martire, Leo; Mimoun, David] SUPAERO, ISAE, Toulouse, France. [Viudez-Moreiras, Daniel; Pla-Garcia, Jorge; Mora-Sotomayor, Luis; Navarro, Sara; Torres, Josefina; Lepinette, Alain; Molina, Antonio; Marin-Jimenez, Mercedes; Gomez-Elvira, Javier; Peinado, Veronica; Rodriguez-Manfredi, Jose-Antonio] CSIC, INTA, Ctr Astrobiol, Madrid, Spain. [Lognonne, Philippe; Perrin, Clement; Kenda, Balthasar; Rodriguez, Sebastien; Kawamura, Taichi; Jacob, Alice; Lucas, Antoine] Univ Paris, CNRS, Inst Phys Globe Paris, Paris, France. [Karatekin, Ozgur; Hove, Bart Van] Royal Observ Belgium, Directorate Reference Syst & Planetol, Brussels, Belgium. [Teanby, Nicholas] Univ Bristol, Sch Earth Sci, Bristol, Avon, England. [Maki, Justin N.; Golombek, Matthew; Hurst, Kenneth; Smrekar, Suzanne E.; Banerdt, W. Bruce] CALTECH, Jet Prop Lab, Pasadena, CA USA. [Mueller, Nils T.; Spohn, Tilman] German Aerosp Ctr DLR, Inst Planetary Res, Berlin, Germany. [McClean, John B.; Stott, Alexander E.; Charalambous, Constantinos; Pike, William T.] Imperial Coll London, Dept Elect & Elect Engn, London, England. [Johnson, Catherine L.; Mittelholz, Anna] Univ British Columbia, Dept Earth Ocean & Atmospher Sci, Vancouver, BC, Canada. [Johnson, Catherine L.] Planetary Sci Inst, Tucson, AZ USA. [Maattanen, Anni] Univ Versailles St Quentin En Yvelines, Univ Paris Saclay, Sorbonne Univ,IPSL,LATMOS, CNRS,Lab Atmosphere Milieux Observ Spatiales, Guyancourt, France. [Lewis, Stephen R.] Open Univ, Sch Phys Sci, Milton Keynes, Bucks, England. [Clinton, John] Swiss Fed Inst Technol, Swiss Seismol Serv SED, Zurich, Switzerland. [Staehler, Simon C.; Ceylan, Savas; Giardini, Domenico] Swiss Fed Inst Technol, Inst Geophys, Zurich, Switzerland. [Warren, Tristram] Univ Oxford, Dept Phys, Oxford, England. [Daubar, Ingrid] Brown Univ, Dept Earth Environm & Planetary Sci, Providence, RI 02912 USA. [Rolland, Lucie] Univ Cote Azur, Observ Cote Azur, CNRS, IRD,Geoazur, Valbonne, France. [Widmer-Schnidrig, Rudolf] Stuttgart Univ, Black Forest Observ, Wolfach, Germany. [Beucler, Eric; Ansan, Veronique] Univ Angers, CNRS, Univ Nantes, Lab Planetol & Geodynam,UMR6112, Nantes, France. [Baker, Mariah] Johns Hopkins Univ, Morton K Blaustein Dept Earth & Planetary Sci, Baltimore, MD USA. [Baker, Mariah] Smithsonian Inst, Ctr Earth & Planetary Studies, Natl Air & Space Museum, Washington, DC 20560 USA. [Russell, Christopher T.] Univ Calif Los Angeles, Dept Earth Planetary & Space Sci, Los Angeles, CA USA.
E-mail Addresses:banfield@astro.cornell.edu; aymeric.spiga@sorbonne-universite.fr