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A. D. Toigo, M. I. Richardson (Caltech)
The three Martian landers (Mars Pathfinder, Viking Lander 1, and Viking Lander 2) were able to collect high temporal resolution weather station data (pressure, temperature, and winds) for three different locations on the Martian surface. These data sets provide ground-truth against which modeling efforts can compare themselves. We have developed a new Martian mesoscale model, the Mars MM5, based upon the Penn State/NCAR Fifth Generation Mesoscale Model and modified for use with Mars. We will compare the modeled meteorological variables against those observed by the landers. We will show that the incorporation of high resolution topography, albedo, and thermal inertia data allow the mesoscale model to reproduce the measured atmospheric variables better than a global circulation model (GCM).