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A new model of the crustal magnetic field of Mars using MGS and MAVEN.

ABSTRACT: While devoid of an active magnetic field today, Mars possesses a remanent magnetic field which may reach several thousand nT locally. The exact origin, and the events which have shaped the crustal magnetization remain largely enigmatic. Three magnetic field datasets from two spacecraft collected over 13 cumulative years have sampled the martian magnetic field over a range of altitudes from 90 km up to 6000 km: a- Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) magnetometer (1997-2006); b- MGS Electron Reflectometer (1999-2006); c- MAVEN magnetometer (2014-today). In this paper we combine these complementary datasets for the first time to build a new model of the martian internal magnetic field. This new model improves upon previous ones in several aspects: comprehensive data coverage; refined data selection scheme; modified modeling scheme; discrete-to-continuous transformation of the model; increased model resolution. The new model has a spatial resolution of ~ 160 km at the surface, corresponding to spherical harmonic degree 134. It shows small scales and well defined features, which can now be associated with geological signatures.

SUBMITTER: Langlais B

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8793354 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A new model of the crustal magnetic field of Mars using MGS and MAVEN.

Langlais Benoit B Thébault Erwan E Houliez Aymeric A Purucker Michael E ME Lillis Robert J RJ

Journal of geophysical research. Planets 20190501 6

While devoid of an active magnetic field today, Mars possesses a remanent magnetic field which may reach several thousand nT locally. The exact origin, and the events which have shaped the crustal magnetization remain largely enigmatic. Three magnetic field datasets from two spacecraft collected over 13 cumulative years have sampled the martian magnetic field over a range of altitudes from 90 km up to 6000 km: a- Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) magnetometer (1997-2006); b- MGS Electron Reflectometer ...[more]

PMID: 35096494

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Project description:The climatology of baroclinic waves in the northern hemisphere of Mars is investigated through analysis of observations by the infrared sounders on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and Mars Global Surveyor (MGS). We focus on the lowest scale height above the surface, where the waves have a large impact on the Martian dust cycle. Profiles retrieved by the MRO Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) rarely reach the lower atmosphere at the season and location of interest. To fill this gap, we turn to observations in the MCS B1 channel (32 microns) when the instrument is viewing the surface. The signature of baroclinic waves appears in these data because of dust-related emission from the lower atmosphere and wave-induced variations of surface temperature. We supplement the MCS data with measurements of temperature at the 610-Pa pressure level from the MGS Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES). Both data sets provide systematic coverage in latitude and longitude at two local times. Characteristics of baroclinic waves are derived through analysis of observations with a combined duration of about 8 Mars years. Basic results include least-squares solutions for wave amplitude and period at zonal wavenumber 1-3; the resolution is 4° in latitude and 14 solar days in time of observation. There is a strong similarity between the baroclinic waves observed by MCS and TES, which confirms the sensitivity of the MCS B1 channel to wave activity at pressures near 610 Pa. In all 8 Mars years, the baroclinic waves exhibit periodic transitions among modes with different zonal wavenumbers and a distinctive solstitial pause. Although the weather in each Mars year is unique in some respects, a composite of results from all years reveals a well-defined wave climatology. At each zonal wavenumber, large amplitudes are restricted to a pair of seasonal windows positioned symmetrically about the winter solstice. The wave-2 mode is strongest in early autumn and near the vernal equinox, whereas wave 3 is the dominant mode in mid-autumn and mid-winter, immediately before and after the solstitial pause. The interaction between baroclinic waves and dust storms is investigated through comparisons with spacecraft measurements of dust opacity. A strong wave-3 mode is often present during the initial growth phase of large, seasonal dust storms, which reflects the importance of wave-generated frontal dust storms in triggering these events. The wave-3 amplitude then decreases rapidly as the dust storm evolves; this occurs routinely in all Mars years considered here in connection with both mid-autumn "A" storms and mid-winter "C" storms. In some years A-storm suppression of the wave-3 mode marks the beginning of the solstitial pause. These results provide a basis for testing and development of Mars General Circulation Models as well as context for interpreting contemporaneous observations, such as spacecraft images of frontal and flushing dust storms.

Dataset Information

A new model of the crustal magnetic field of Mars using MGS and MAVEN.

Publications

A new model of the crustal magnetic field of Mars using MGS and MAVEN.

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