[Previous] | [Session 14] | [Next]

[14.15] One Martian Year of the Orbiting Thermal Emission Spectrometer's Observations of 10\mum CO₂ Hot Band Emission

W.C. Maguire, J.C. Pearl, M.D. Smith (NASA/GSFC), B.J. Conrath (Cornell), A.A. Kutepov (NAS/NRC at GSFC and Max Planck), A.G. Feofilov (Munich), P.R. Christensen (Arizona State U.)

More than a complete Martian year's Mars Global Surveyor (MGS/TES) data have been obtained allowing tracking of the 10\mum CO₂ hot band emission. We show the latitudinal and height changes of the emission as a function of time. Previously, we have shown how absorption of solar radiation in the 1-5\mum region pumping the \nu₃ CO₂ manifold in our non-LTE (non-local thermodynamic equilibrium) model reproduces the seasonal, latitudinal and height dependence of this IR emission[1]. We will describe improvements to our model and discuss high altitude observations.

In Mars’ atmosphere, the 15\mum CO₂ band is used for temperature retrievals, including limb retrievals. Non-LTE effects in the CO₂ vibrational bending mode manifold set in above about 95 km. Even at lower altitudes limb observations, due to long optical paths, include contributions from above 95 km. We will report on our comparison of non-LTE to LTE limb retrievals.

Funding for this research was provided by NASA through the Mars Data Analysis Program. We also acknowledge support by NASA for an NAS/NRC Associateship.

[1] W.C. Maguire, J.C. Pearl, M.D. Smith, B.J. Conrath, A.A. Kutepov, M.S. Kaelberer, E. Winter and P.R. Christensen, Observations of high-altitude CO₂ hot bands in Mars by the orbiting Thermal Emission Spectrometer, J.G.R. 107 (E), doi: 10.1029/2001JE001516, 2002.

[Previous] | [Session 14] | [Next]

Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 35 #4
© 2003. The American Astronomical Soceity.