Seasonal variations in atmospheric composition as measured in Gale Crater, Mars

Autor: H. L. K. Manning, Paul R. Mahaffy, Rafael Navarro-González, Franck Lefèvre, Heather B. Franz, Chris Webster, Pamela G. Conrad, Álvaro Vicente-Retortillo, Melissa G. Trainer, Sushil K. Atreya, Timothy H. McConnochie, Christopher P. McKay, Michael H. Wong, Javier Martin-Torres, German Martinez, Charles Malespin, María Paz Zorzano
Přispěvatelé: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering (CLaSP), University of Michigan [Ann Arbor], University of Michigan System-University of Michigan System, Department of Astronomy [College Park], University of Maryland [College Park], University of Maryland System-University of Maryland System, Carnegie Institution for Science [Washington], PLANETO - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Misericordia University, Department of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering [Luleå], Luleå University of Technology (LUT), Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (IACT), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC)-Universidad de Granada (UGR), Lunar and Planetary Institute [Houston] (LPI), NASA Ames Research Center (ARC), Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares [Mexico], Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology (CALTECH)-NASA, Centro de Astrobiologia [Madrid] (CAB), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (US), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737, Zorzano, M. P. [0000-0002-4492-9650], Navarro González, R. [0000-0002-6078-7621], Martín Torres, J. [0000-0001-6479-2236], Vicente Retortillo, A. [0000-0002-4553-7624]
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2019
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Geophysical Research. Planets
Journal of Geophysical Research. Planets, Wiley-Blackwell, 2019, 124 (11), pp.3000-3024. ⟨10.1029/2019JE006175⟩
Digital.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
instname
DIGITAL.INTA Repositorio Digital del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial
Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA)
ISSN: 2169-9097
2169-9100
Popis: The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument onboard the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover measures the chemical composition of major atmospheric species (CO2, N2, 40Ar, O2, and CO) through a dedicated atmospheric inlet. We report here measurements of volume mixing ratios in Gale Crater using the SAM quadrupole mass spectrometer, obtained over a period of nearly 5 years (3 Mars years) from landing. The observation period spans the northern summer of MY 31 and solar longitude (LS) of 175° through spring of MY 34, LS = 12°. This work expands upon prior reports of the mixing ratios measured by SAM QMS in the first 105 sols of the mission. The SAM QMS atmospheric measurements were taken periodically, with a cumulative coverage of four or five experiments per season on Mars. Major observations include the seasonal cycle of CO2, N2, and Ar, which lags approximately 20¿40° of LS behind the pressure cycle driven by CO2 condensation and sublimation from the winter poles. This seasonal cycle indicates that transport occurs on faster timescales than mixing. The mixing ratio of O2 shows significant seasonal and interannual variability, suggesting an unknown atmospheric or surface process at work. The O2 measurements are compared to several parameters, including dust optical depth and trace CH4 measurements by Curiosity. We derive annual mean volume mixing ratios for the atmosphere in Gale Crater: CO2 = 0.951 (±0.003), N2 = 0.0259 (±0.0006), 40Ar = 0.0194 (±0.0004), O2 = 1.61 (±0.09) x 10-3, and CO = 5.8 (±0.8) x 10-4. ©2019. The Authors.
All MSL data used in this manuscript (REMS and SAM) are freely available on NASA's Planetary Data System (PDS) Geosciences Node, from within 6 months after receipt on Earth (http://pds‐geosciences.wustl.edu/missions/msl/). The mixing ratios developed and presented in this paper are available at a publicly available archive (dataverse.org: doi.org/10.7910/DVN/CVUOWW) as cited within the manuscript. The successful operation of the Curiosity rover and the SAM instrument on Mars is due to the hard work and dedication of hundreds of scientists, engineers, and managers over more than a decade. Essential contributions to the successful operation of SAM on Mars and the acquisition of SAM data were provided by the SAM development, operations, and test bed teams. The authors gratefully thank the SAM and MSL teams that have contributed in numerous ways to obtain the data that enabled this scientific work. We also thank NASA for the support of the development of SAM, SAM data analysis, and the continued support of the Mars Science Laboratory mission. The contribution of F. Lefèvre was supported by the Programme National de Planétologie (PNP). R. Navarro‐Gonzalez acknowledges support from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (PAPIIT IN111619). LPI is operated by USRA under a cooperative agreement with the Science Mission Directorate of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. We thank members of the SAM and larger MSL team for insightful discussions and support. In particular, we thank R. Becker and R. O. Pepin for careful review of data analysis and interpretation. We thank M. D. Smith for discussion of CRISM CO measurements. We thank A. Brunner, M. Johnson, and M. Lefavor for their development of customized data analysis tools used here and in other SAM publications.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
Externí odkaz: