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Observation of pressure variations in the Martian atmosphere
Author(s) -
Gendrin Aline,
Erard Stéphane,
Drossart Pierre,
Melchiorri Riccardo
Publication year - 2003
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 - 10.1029/2003gl018234
Subject(s) - martian , atmosphere of mars , mars exploration program , orbiter , atmosphere (unit) , astrobiology , altimeter , remote sensing , geology , spectrometer , exploration of mars , environmental science , martian surface , astronomy , physics , meteorology , optics
Pressure waves in the Martian atmosphere could so far be observed only in the presence of clouds. Thanks to the Mars Global Surveyor/Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MGS/MOLA), a direct observation is now possible, with the method presented here. Many more events are thus potentially observable. We compare altimetry measurements from MGS/MOLA and spectral observations from ISM, the infrared spectrometer aboard the Phobos‐2 spacecraft, to infer pressure variations in the Martian atmosphere. We identify variations of pressure above Martian volcanoes and we observe lee vortices of wavelength ∼200–250 km and amplitude ∼0.05 mbar in two different occasions. The application of this technique should constrain Martian meteorology with data from future imaging spectrometers.