The martian water cycle through assimilation of Thermal Emission Spectrometer data

Steele, Liam; Lewis, S. R.; Patel, M. R.; Montmessin, F. and Smith, M. D. (2013). The martian water cycle through assimilation of Thermal Emission Spectrometer data. In: European Planetary Science Congress, 8-13 Sep 2013, London.

URL: http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC2013/EP...

Abstract

We present for the first time an assimilation of Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) water vapour column data into a global climate model (GCM) of the martian atmosphere, and discuss the seasonal cycle of water vapour and the processes responsible for the observed vapour distribution. The assimilation scheme is shown to be robust in producing consistent reanalyses even with differing initial conditions, and the global vapour column error is reduced to around 2–4 pr-μm depending on season. Wave activity is shown to play an important role in the vapour distribution, and the assimilated vapour field shows evidence of western boundary currents (WBCs) during aphelion season around Tharsis and Syrtis Major.

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