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Sources of Ionospheric Variability at Mars
Author(s) -
Mendillo Michael,
Narvaez Clara,
Vogt Marissa F.,
Mayyasi Majd,
Forbes Jeffrey,
Galand Marina,
Thiemann Edward,
Benna Mehdi,
Eparvier Francis,
Chamberlin Phillip,
Mahaffy Paul,
Andersson Laila
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9402
pISSN - 2169-9380
DOI - 10.1002/2017ja024366
Subject(s) - martian , atmosphere of mars , mars exploration program , thermosphere , ionosphere , atmospheric sciences , electron density , atmosphere (unit) , environmental science , altitude (triangle) , irradiance , astrobiology , physics , electron , meteorology , geophysics , optics , geometry , mathematics , quantum mechanics
During the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission's deep‐dip #2 campaign of 17–22 April 2015, spacecraft instruments observed all of the physical parameters needed to assess the photo‐chemical‐equilibrium (PCE) explanation for ionospheric variability at a fixed altitude (135 km) near the peak of the Martian ionosphere. MAVEN measurements of electron density, electron temperature, neutral CO 2 density, and solar irradiance were collected during 28 orbits. When inserted into the PCE equation, the measurements of varying PCE drivers correlated with the observed electron density variations to within instrumental uncertainty levels. The dominant source of this positive correlation was the variability of CO 2 densities associated with the longitudinal wave‐2 component of nonmigrating tides in the Martian thermosphere.