Premium
Determination of dust aerosol particle size at Gale Crater using REMS UVS and Mastcam measurements
Author(s) -
VicenteRetortillo Álvaro,
Martínez Germán M.,
Renno Nilton O.,
Lemmon Mark T.,
TorreJuárez Manuel
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2017gl072589
Subject(s) - aerosol , mars exploration program , impact crater , martian , atmosphere of mars , atmospheric sciences , opacity , environmental science , effective radius , particle (ecology) , particle size , radius , radiation , astrobiology , meteorology , geology , physics , astrophysics , optics , paleontology , oceanography , computer security , galaxy , computer science
We calculate the seasonal and interannual variation in dust aerosol particle size above Gale Crater during the first 1413 Martian solar days (sols = 24.6 h) of the Mars Science Laboratory mission. Measurements of UV radiation made by the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station in combination with atmospheric opacities retrieved from the Mastcam instrument are used for the calculations. Our results indicate that the dust effective radius varies significantly with season, ranging from ~0.6 μm during the low opacity season ( L s = 60°–140°) to ~2 μm during the high opacity season ( L s = 180°–360°). Our results suggest that Gale Crater is affected by dust events of high aerosol content originated at various distances from it. Our results improve the accuracy of estimations of ultraviolet radiation fluxes at the Martian surface. Moreover, our results have important implications because the lifetime of suspended dust and its ability to nucleate clouds are affected by particle size.