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J. L. Hollingsworth (SJSUF/NASA Ames), R. M. Haberle (NASA Ames), J. Schaeffer (Raytheon Co.)
Using the NASA Ames Research Center Mars general circulation model (MGCM), the structure and strength of the mean solstitial and equinoctial Hadley circulations, i.e., the longitudinally-averaged (or zonally symmetric) overturning circulation, are investigated for a variety of atmospheric dust spatial distributions. The prescribed dust loadings considered in the simulations are weak to moderate and correspond to globally-averaged visible optical depths of \tau = 0.3--0.6. This range is well within recently inferred visible dust opacities from both the Mars Pathfinder (MPF) and Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) missions. The steady-state, latitude-altitude temperature structure results from an intricate balance between the diabatic heating rate, mean horizontal and vertical heat flux advections associated with the overturning circulation, and eddy horizontal and vertical heat flux convergences. The latter contributions arise from both stationary (e.g., forced planetary waves) and transient circulation components (e.g., traveling synoptic weather disturbances, thermal tidal modes, etc.). Comparisons are made between recent Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) meridional temperature cross sections during MGS phase 1 aerobraking and simulations with the global climate model.
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The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: jeffh@humbabe.arc.nasa.gov