Examinando por Autor "Murdoch, N."

Mostrando 1 - 13 de 13

Acceso Abierto
A Comodulation Analysis of Atmospheric Energy Injection Into the Ground Motion at InSight, Mars
(Advancing Earth and Space Science AGU, 2021-02-08) Charalambous, C.; Stott, A.; Pike, W. T.; McClean, John; Warren, T.; Spiga, A.; Banfield, D.; García, R. F.; Clinton, J.; Stähler, S. C.; Navarro López, Sara; Lognonné, P.; Scholz, J. R.; Kawamura, T.; Van Driel, M.; Böse, M.; Ceylan, S.; Khan, A.; Horleston, A.; Orhand Mainsant, G.; Sotomayor, L. M.; Murdoch, N.; Giardini, D.; Banerdt, W. B.; Murdoch, N. [0000-0002-9701-4075]; Lognonne, P. [0000-0002-1014-920X]; Charalambous, C. [0000-0002-9139-3895]; Stott, A. E. [0000-0001-6121-705X]; Spiga, A. [0000-0002-6776-6268]; Stähler, S. [0000-0002-0783-2489]; Scholz, J. R. [0000-0003-1404-2335]; Ceylan, S. [0000-0002-6552-6850]; Khan, A. [0000-0003-4462-3173]; Van Driel, M. [0000-0002-8938-4615]; Horleston, A. [0000-0002-6748-6522]; Giardini, D. [0000-0002-5573-7638]; Banerdt, W. B. [0000-0003-3125-1542]
Seismic observations involve signals that can be easily masked by noise injection. For the NASA Mars lander InSight, the atmosphere is a significant noise contributor, impeding the identification of seismic events for two-thirds of a Martian day. While the noise is below that seen at even the quietest sites on Earth, the amplitude of seismic signals on Mars is also considerably lower, requiring an understanding and quantification of environmental injection at unprecedented levels. Mars’ ground and atmosphere are a continuously coupled seismic system, and although atmospheric functions are of distinct origins, the superposition of these noise contributions is poorly understood, making separation a challenging task. We present a novel method for partitioning the observed signal into seismic and environmental contributions. Atmospheric pressure and wind fluctuations are shown to exhibit temporal cross-frequency coupling across multiple bands, injecting noise that is neither random nor coherent. We investigate this through comodulation, quantifying the synchrony of the seismic motion, wind and pressure signals. By working in the time-frequency domain, we discriminate between the different origins of underlying processes and determine the site's environmental sensitivity. Our method aims to create a virtual vault at InSight's landing site on Mars, shielding the seismometers with effective postprocessing in lieu of a physical vault. This allows us to describe the environmental and seismic signals over a sequence of sols, to quantify the wind and pressure injection and estimate the seismic content of possible marsquakes with a signal-to-noise ratio that can be quantified in terms of environmental independence. Finally, we exploit the relationship between the comodulated signals to identify their sources.
Acceso Abierto
A Study of Daytime Convective Vortices and Turbulence in the Martian Planetary Boundary Layer Based on Half-a-Year of InSight Atmospheric Measurements and Large-Eddy Simulations
(American Geophysical Union: Advancing Earth and Space Science, 2021-01-12) Spiga, A.; Murdoch, N.; Lorenz, R.; Forget, F.; Newman, C. E.; Rodríguez, Sébastien; Pla García, J.; Viúdez Moreiras, Daniel; Banfield, D.; Perrin, C.; Mueller, N. T.; Lemmon, M. T.; Millour, E.; Banerdt, W. B.; Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); Spiga, A. [0000-0002-6776-6268]; Murdoch, N. [0000-0002-9701-4075]; Lorenz, R. [0000-0001-8528-4644]; Forget, F. [0000-0002-3262-4366]; Newman, C. [0000-0001-9990-8817]; Rodríguez, S. [0000-0003-1219-0641]; Pla García, J. [0000-0002-8047-3937]; Viúdez Moreiras, D. [0000-0001-8442-3788]; Perrin, C. [0000-0002-7200-5682]; Mueller, N. T. [0000-0001-9229-8921]; Lemmon, M. [0000-0002-4504-5136]; Millour, E. [0000-0003-4808-9203]; Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737
Studying the atmospheric planetary boundary layer (PBL) is crucial to understand the climate of a planet. The meteorological measurements by the instruments onboard InSight at a latitude of 4.5°N make a unique rich data set to study the active turbulent dynamics of the daytime PBL on Mars. Here we use the high-sensitivity continuous pressure, wind, and temperature measurements in the first 400 sols of InSight operations (from northern late winter to midsummer) to analyze wind gusts, convective cells, and vortices in Mars’ daytime PBL. We compare InSight measurements to turbulence-resolving large-eddy simulations (LES). The daytime PBL turbulence at the InSight landing site is very active, with clearly identified signatures of convective cells and a vast population of 6,000 recorded vortex encounters, adequately represented by a power law with a 3.4 exponent. While the daily variability of vortex encounters at InSight can be explained by the statistical nature of turbulence, the seasonal variability is positively correlated with ambient wind speed, which is supported by LES. However, wind gustiness is positively correlated to surface temperature rather than ambient wind speed and sensible heat flux, confirming the radiative control of the daytime Martian PBL; and fewer convective vortices are forming in LES when the background wind is doubled. Thus, the long-term seasonal variability of vortex encounters at the InSight landing site is mainly controlled by the advection of convective vortices by ambient wind speed. Typical tracks followed by vortices forming in the LES show a similar distribution in direction and length as orbital imagery.
Restringido
Constraints on the shallow elastic and anelastic structure of Mars from InSight seismic data
(Nature Research Journals, 2020-02-24) Lognonné, P.; Banerdt, W. B.; Pike, W. T.; Giardini, D.; Christensesn, U.; García, R. F.; Kawamura, T.; Kedar, S.; Knapmeyer Endrun, B.; Margerin, L.; Nimmo, F.; Panning, M.; Tauzin, B.; Scholz, J. R.; Antonangeli, D.; Barkaoui, S.; Beucler, E.; Bissig, F.; Brinkman, N.; Calvet, M.; Ceylan, S.; Charalambous, C.; Davis, P.; Van Driel, M.; Drilleau, M.; Fayon, L.; Joshi, R.; Kenda, B.; Khan, A.; Knapmeyer, M.; Lekic, V.; McClean, John; Mimoun, D.; Murdoch, N.; Pan, L.; Perrin, C.; Pinot, B.; Pou, L.; Menina, S.; Rodríguez, Sébastien; Schmelzbach, C.; Schmerr, N.; Sollberg, D.; Spiga, A.; Stähler, S.; Stott, A.; Stutzmann, E.; Tharimena, S.; Widmer Schnidrig, R.; Andersson, F.; Ansan, V.; Beghein, C.; Knollenberg, M.; Krasner, S.; krause, C.; Lorenz, R.; Michaut, C.; Myhill, R.; Nissen Meyer, T.; Ten Pierick, J.; Plesa, A. C.; Quantin Nataf, C.; Robertsson, J.; Rochas, L.; Schimmel, M.; Smrekar, Suzanne; Spohn, T.; Teanby, N.; Tromp, J.; Vallade, J.; Verdier, N.; Vrettos, C.; Weber, R.; Banfield, D.; Barrett, E.; Bierwith, M.; Calcutt, S.; Compaire, N.; Johnson, C. L.; Mance, D.; Euchner, F.; Kerjean, L.; Mainsant, G.; Mocquet, A.; Rodríguez Manfredi, J. A.; Pont, G.; Laudet, Philippe; Nebut, T.; Raucort, S.; Robert, O.; Russell, C. T.; Sylvestre Baron, A.; Tillier, S.; Warren, T.; Wieczorek, Mark A.; Yana, C.; Zweifel, P.; Centre National D'Etudes Spatiales (CNES); Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR); Lognonné, P.[0000-0002-1014-920X]; Spiga, A. [0000-0002-6776-6268]; Murdoch, N. [0000-0002-9701-4075]; Fayon, L. [0000-0002-4276-8160]; Knapmeyer, M. [0000-0003-0319-2514]; Tromp, J. [0000-0002-2742-8299]; Perrin, C. [0000-0002-7200-5682]; Schimmel, M. [0000-0003-2601-4462]; Panning, M. P. [0000-0002-2041-3190]; Rodríguez Manfredi, J. [0000-0003-0461-9815]; Pan, L. [0000-0002-8151-2125]; García, R. F. [0000-0003-1460-6663]; Rodríguez, S. [0000-0003-1219-0641]; Sollberger, D. [0000-0001-6408-6681]; Ceylan, S. [0000-0002-6552-6850]; Irving, J. [0000-0002-0866-8246]; Warren, T. [0000-0003-3877-0046]; Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737
Mars’s seismic activity and noise have been monitored since January 2019 by the seismometer of the InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) lander. At night, Mars is extremely quiet; seismic noise is about 500 times lower than Earth’s microseismic noise at periods between 4 s and 30 s. The recorded seismic noise increases during the day due to ground deformations induced by convective atmospheric vortices and ground-transferred wind-generated lander noise. Here we constrain properties of the crust beneath InSight, using signals from atmospheric vortices and from the hammering of InSight’s Heat Flow and Physical Properties (HP3) instrument, as well as the three largest Marsquakes detected as of September 2019. From receiver function analysis, we infer that the uppermost 8–11 km of the crust is highly altered and/or fractured. We measure the crustal diffusivity and intrinsic attenuation using multiscattering analysis and find that seismic attenuation is about three times larger than on the Moon, which suggests that the crust contains small amounts of volatiles.
Acceso Abierto
Convective Vortices and Dust Devils Detected and Characterized by Mars 2020
(AGU Advancing Earth and Space Science, 2023-02-10) Hueso, R.; Newman, C. E.; Del Río Gaztelurrutia, T.; Munguira, A.; Sánchez Lavega, Agustín; Toledo, D.; Apéstigue, Víctor; Arruego, Ignacio; Vicente Retortillo, Álvaro; Martínez, Germán M.; Lemmon, M. T.; Lorenz, Ralph; Richardson, M. I.; Viúdez Moreiras, Daniel; De la Torre Juárez, M.; Rodríguez Manfredi, J. A.; Tamppari, L. K.; Murdoch, N.; Navarro López, Sara; Gómez Elvira, J.; Baker, M.; Pla García, J.; Harri, Ari-Matti; Hieta, M.; Genzer, María; Polkko, J.; Jaakonaho, I.; Makinen, Terhi; Stott, Alexander; Mimoun, D.; Chide, B.; Sebastián Martínez, Eduardo; Banfield, D.; Lepinette Malvitte, A.; Gobierno Vasco; Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN); Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO); Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Arizona State University (ASU); Universities Space Research Association (USRA); NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL); Comunidad de Madrid; Academy of Finland (AKA); Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737
We characterize vortex and dust devils (DDs) at Jezero from pressure and winds obtained with the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) instrument on Mars 2020 over 415 Martian days (sols) (Ls = 6°–213°). Vortices are abundant (4.9 per sol with pressure drops >0.5 Pa correcting from gaps in coverage) and they peak at noon. At least one in every five vortices carries dust, and 75% of all vortices with Δp > 2.0 Pa are dusty. Seasonal variability was small but DDs were abundant during a dust storm (Ls = 152°–156°). Vortices are more frequent and intense over terrains with lower thermal inertia favoring high daytime surface-to-air temperature gradients. We fit measurements of winds and pressure during DD encounters to models of vortices. We obtain vortex diameters that range from 5 to 135 m with a mean of 20 m, and from the frequency of close encounters we estimate a DD activity of 2.0–3.0 DDs km−2 sol−1. A comparison of MEDA observations with a Large Eddy Simulation of Jezero at Ls = 45° produces a similar result. Three 100-m size DDs passed within 30 m of the rover from what we estimate that the activity of DDs with diameters >100 m is 0.1 DDs km−2sol−1, implying that dust lifting is dominated by the largest vortices in Jezero. At least one vortex had a central pressure drop of 9.0 Pa and internal winds of 25 ms−1. The MEDA wind sensors were partially damaged during two DD encounters whose characteristics we elaborate in detail.
Acceso Abierto
Dust Devil Frequency of Occurrence and Radiative Effects at Jezero Crater, Mars, as Measured by MEDA Radiation and Dust Sensor (RDS)
(GU Advancing Earth and Space Science, 2023-01-17) Toledo, D.; Apéstigue, Víctor; Arruego, Ignacio; Lemmon, M. T.; Gómez Martín, L.; Montoro, F.; Hueso, R.; Newman, C. E.; Smith, Michael D.; Viúdez Moreiras, Daniel; Martínez, Germán M.; Vicente Retortillo, Álvaro; Sánchez Lavega, Agustín; De la Torre Juárez, M.; Rodríguez Manfredi, J. A.; Carrasco, I.; Yela González, Margarita; Jiménez Martín, Juan José; García-Menéndez, Elisa; Navarro López, Sara; Gómez Elvira, J.; Harri, Ari-Matti; Polkko, J.; Hieta, M.; Genzer, María; Murdoch, N.; Sebastián, E.; Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN); Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO); NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); Gobierno Vasco
The Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer, onboard the Perseverance rover, is a meteorological station that is operating on Mars and includes, among other sensors, the radiometer Radiation and Dust Sensor (RDS). From RDS irradiance observations, a total of 374 dust devils (DDs) were detected for the first 365 sols of the mission (Ls = 6°–182°), which along with wind and pressure measurements, we estimated a DD frequency of formation at Jezero between 1.3 and 3.4 DD km−2 sol−1 (increasing as we move from spring into summer). This frequency is found to be smaller than that estimated at the Spirit or Pathfinder landing sites but much greater than that derived at InSight landing site. The maximum in DD frequency occurs between 12:00 and 13:00 local true solar time, which is when the convective heat flux and lower planetary boundary layer IR heating are both predicted to peak in Jezero crater. DD diameter, minimum height, and trajectory were studied showing (a) an average diameter of 29 m (or a median of 25 m) and a maximum and minimum diameter of 132 ± 63.4 and 5.6 ± 5.5 m; (b) an average minimum DD height of 231 m and a maximum minimum-height of 872 m; and (c) the DD migration direction is in agreement with wind measurements. For all the cases, DDs decreased the UV irradiance, while at visible or near-IR wavelengths both increases and decreases were observed. Contrary to the frequency of formation, these results indicate similar DD characteristics in average for the studied period.
Acceso Abierto
Dust Lifting Through Surface Albedo Changes at Jezero Crater, Mars
(Advancing Earth and Space Science (AGU), 2023-03-22) Vicente Retortillo, Álvaro; Martínez, Germán M.; Lemmon, M. T.; Hueso, R.; Johnson, J. R.; Sullivan, Robert; Newman, C. E.; Sebastián, E.; Toledo, D.; Apéstigue, Víctor; Arruego, Ignacio; Munguira, A.; Sánchez Lavega, Agustín; Murdoch, N.; Gillier, M.; Stott, A.; Mora Sotomayor, L.; Bertrand, T.; Tamppari, L. K.; De la Torre Juárez, M.; Rodríguez Manfredi, J. A.; Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); Comunidad de Madrid; Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737
We identify temporal variations in surface albedo at Jezero crater using first-of-their-kind high-cadence in-situ measurements of reflected shortwave radiation during the first 350 sols of the Mars 2020 mission. Simultaneous Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) measurements of pressure, radiative fluxes, winds, and sky brightness indicate that these albedo changes are caused by dust devils under typical conditions and by a dust storm at Ls ∼ 155°. The 17% decrease in albedo caused by the dust storm is one order of magnitude larger than the most apparent changes caused during quiescent periods by dust devils. Spectral reflectance measurements from Mastcam-Z images before and after the storm indicate that the decrease in albedo is mainly caused by dust removal. The occurrence of albedo changes is affected by the intensity and proximity of the convective vortex, and the availability and mobility of small particles at the surface. The probability of observing an albedo change increases with the magnitude of the pressure drop (ΔP): changes were detected in 3.5%, 43%, and 100% of the dust devils with ΔP < 2.5 Pa, ΔP > 2.5 Pa and ΔP > 4.5 Pa, respectively. Albedo changes were associated with peak wind speeds above 15 m·s−1. We discuss dust removal estimates, the observed surface temperature changes coincident with albedo changes, and implications for solar-powered missions. These results show synergies between multiple instruments (MEDA, Mastcam-Z, Navcam, and the Supercam microphone) that improve our understanding of aeolian processes on Mars.
Restringido
Initial results from the InSight mission on Mars
(Nature Research Journals, 2020-02-24) Banerdt, W. B.; Smrekar, Suzanne; Banfield, D.; Giardini, D.; Golombek, M.; Johnson, C. L.; Lognonné, P.; Spiga, A.; Spohn, T.; Perrin, C.; Stähler, S.; Antonangeli, D.; Asmar, S.; Beghein, C.; Bowles, N.; Bozdag, E.; Chi, P.; Christensesn, U.; Clinton, J.; Collins, G. S.; Daubar, I.; Dehant, V.; Drilleau, M.; Fillingim, M.; Folkner, W.; García, R. F.; Garvin, J. B.; Grant, J.; Grott, M.; Grygorczuk, J.; Hudson, T.; Irving, J. C. E.; Kargl, G.; Kawamura, T.; Kedar, S.; King, S.; Knapmeyer Endrun, B.; Knapmeyer, M.; Lemmon, M. T.; Lorenz, R.; Maki, Justin N.; Margerin, L.; McLennan, S. M.; Michaut, C.; Mimoun, D.; Mittelholz, A.; Mocquet, A.; Morgan, P.; Mueller, N. T.; Murdoch, N.; Nagihara, S.; Newman, C. E.; Nimmo, F.; Panning, M.; Thomas Pike, W.; Plesa, A. C.; Rodríguez, Sébastien; Rodríguez Manfredi, J. A.; Russell, C. T.; Chmerr, N.; Siegler, M.; Stanley, S.; Stutzmann, E.; Teanby, N.; Tromp, J.; Van Driel, M.; Warner, N.; Weber, R.; Wieczorek, Mark A.; Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR); Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF); Tromp, J. [0000-0002-2742-8299]; Rodríguez, S. [0000-0003-1219-0641]; Lognonné, P. [0000-0002-1014-920X]; Perrin, C. [0000-0002-7200-5682]; Murdoch, N. [0000-0002-9701-4075]; Knapmeyer, M. [0000-0003-0319-2514]; Rodríguez Manfredi, J. A. [0000-0003-0461-9815]; Spiga, A. [0000-0002-6776-6268]; Panning, M. P. [0000-0002-2041-3190]; García, R. [0000-0003-1460-6663]; Johnson, C. [0000-0001-6084-0149]; Stutzmann, E. [0000-0002-4348-7475]; Knapmeyer-Endrun, B. [0000-0003-3309-6785]; Schmerr, N. [0000-0002-3256-1262]; Irving, J. C. E. [0000-0002-0866-8246]; Morgan, P. [0000-0001-8714-4178]; Mueller, N. [0000-0001-9229-8921]; Pike, W. [0000-0002-7660-6231]; Kawamura, T. [0000-0001-5246-5561]; Clinton, J. [0000-0001-8626-2703]; Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737
NASA’s InSight (Interior exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) mission landed in Elysium Planitia on Mars on 26 November 2018. It aims to determine the interior structure, composition and thermal state of Mars, as well as constrain present-day seismicity and impact cratering rates. Such information is key to understanding the differentiation and subsequent thermal evolution of Mars, and thus the forces that shape the planet’s surface geology and volatile processes. Here we report an overview of the first ten months of geophysical observations by InSight. As of 30 September 2019, 174 seismic events have been recorded by the lander’s seismometer, including over 20 events of moment magnitude Mw = 3–4. The detections thus far are consistent with tectonic origins, with no impact-induced seismicity yet observed, and indicate a seismically active planet. An assessment of these detections suggests that the frequency of global seismic events below approximately Mw = 3 is similar to that of terrestrial intraplate seismic activity, but there are fewer larger quakes; no quakes exceeding Mw = 4 have been observed. The lander’s other instruments—two cameras, atmospheric pressure, temperature and wind sensors, a magnetometer and a radiometer—have yielded much more than the intended supporting data for seismometer noise characterization: magnetic field measurements indicate a local magnetic field that is ten-times stronger than orbital estimates and meteorological measurements reveal a more dynamic atmosphere than expected, hosting baroclinic and gravity waves and convective vortices. With the mission due to last for an entire Martian year or longer, these results will be built on by further measurements by the InSight lander.
Acceso Abierto
Lander and rover histories of dust accumulation on and removal from solar arrays on Mars
(Elsevier, 2021-11-01) Lorenz, R. D.; Martínez, Germán M.; Spiga, A.; Vicente Retortillo, Álvaro; Newman, C. E.; Murdoch, N.; Forget, F.; Millour, E.; Pierron, T.; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR); Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737
The degradation in electrical output of solar arrays on Mars landers and rovers is reviewed. A loss of 0.2% per Sol is typical, although observed rates of decrease in ‘dust factor’ vary between 0.05% and 2% per Sol. 0.2%/Sol has been observed throughout the first 800 Sols of the ongoing InSight mission, as well as the shorter Mars Pathfinder and Phoenix missions. This rate was also evident for much of the Spirit and Opportunity missions, but the degradation there was episodically reversed by cleaning events due to dust devils and gusts. The enduring success of those rover missions may have given an impression of the long-term viability of solar power on the Martian surface that is not globally-applicable: the occurrence of cleaning events with an operationally-useful frequency seems contingent upon local meteorological circumstances. The conditions for significant cleaning events have apparently not been realized at the InSight landing site, where, notably, dust devils have not been detected in imaging. Optical obscuration by dust deposition and removal has also been observed by ultraviolet sensors on Curiosity, with a similar (but slightly higher) degradation rate. The observations are compared with global circulation model (GCM) results: these predict a geographically somewhat uniform dust deposition rate, while there is some indication that the locations where cleaning events were more frequent may be associated with weaker background winds and a deeper planetary boundary layer. The conventional Dust Devil Activity metric in GCMs does not effectively predict the different dust histories.
Restringido
The atmosphere of Mars as observed by InSight.
(Nature Research Journals, 2020-02-24) Banfield, D.; Spiga, A.; Newman, C. E.; Forget, F.; Lemmon, M. T.; Lorenz, R.; Murdoch, N.; Viúdez Moreiras, Daniel; Pla García, J.; García, R. F.; Lognonné, P.; Karatekin, Özgür; Perrin, C.; Martire, L.; Teanby, N.; Van Hove, B.; Maki, Justin N.; Kenda, B.; Mueller, N. T.; Rodriguez, Sébastien; Kawamura, T.; McClean, John; Stott, A.; Charalambous, C.; Millour, E.; Johnson, C. L.; Mittelholz, A.; Määttänen, A.; Lewis, S. R.; Clinton, J.; Stähler, S. C.; Ceylan, S.; Giardini, D.; Warren, T.; Pike, W. T.; Daubar, I.; Golombek, M.; Rolland, L.; Widmer Schnidrig, R.; Mimoun, D.; Beucler, E.; Jacob, A.; Lucas, A.; Baker, M.; Ansan, V.; Hurst, K.; Mora Sotomayor, L.; Navarro López, Sara; Torres, J.; Lepinette Malvitte, A.; Molina, A.; Marín Jiménez, M.; Gómez Elvira, J.; Peinado, V.; Rodríguez Manfredi, J. A.; Carchic, B. T.; Sackett, S.; Russell, C. T.; Spohn, T.; Smrekar, Suzanne; Banerdt, W. B.; Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR); Määttänen, A. [0000-0002-7326-8492]; Martire, L. [0000-0002-9402-6150]; Rodríguez Manfredi, J. A. [0000-0003-0461-9815]; Lognonné, P. [0000-0002-1014-920X]; Rodríguez, S. [0000-0003-1219-0641]; Spiga, A. [0000-0002-6776-6268]; Perrin, C. [0000-0002-7200-5682]; Molina, A. [0000-0002-5038-2022]; Rodríguez Manfredi, J. A. [0000-0003-0461-9815]; García, R. [0000-0003-1460-6663]; Murdoch, N. [0000-0002-9701-4075]; Lorenz, R. [0000-0001-8528-4644]; Mittelholz, A. [0000-0002-5603-7334]; Kawamura, T. [0000-0001-5246-5561]; Widmer Schnidrig, R. [0000-0001-9698-2739]; McClean, J. [0000-0002-7863-0120]; Mueller, N. [0000-0001-9229-8921]; Lewis, S. [0000-0001-7237-6494]; Teanby, N. [0000-0003-3108-5775]; Warren, T. [0000-0003-3877-0046]; Milliour, E. [0000-0003-4808-9203]; Lemmon, M. [0000-0002-4504-5136]; Clinton, J. [0000-0001-8626-2703]; Ceylan, S. [0000-0002-6552-6850]; Banfield, D. [0000-0003-2664-0164]; Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737
The atmosphere of Mars is thin, although rich in dust aerosols, and covers a dry surface. As such, Mars provides an opportunity to expand our knowledge of atmospheres beyond that attainable from the atmosphere of the Earth. The InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) lander is measuring Mars’s atmosphere with unprecedented continuity, accuracy and sampling frequency. Here we show that InSight unveils new atmospheric phenomena at Mars, especially in the higher-frequency range, and extends our understanding of Mars’s meteorology at all scales. InSight is uniquely sensitive to large-scale and regional weather and obtained detailed in situ coverage of a regional dust storm on Mars. Images have enabled high-altitude wind speeds to be measured and revealed airglow—faint emissions produced by photochemical reactions—in the middle atmosphere. InSight observations show a paradox of aeolian science on Mars: despite having the largest recorded Martian vortex activity and dust-devil tracks close to the lander, no visible dust devils have been seen. Meteorological measurements have produced a catalogue of atmospheric gravity waves, which included bores (soliton-like waves). From these measurements, we have discovered Martian infrasound and unexpected similarities between atmospheric turbulence on Earth and Mars. We suggest that the observations of Mars’s atmosphere by InSight will be key for prediction capabilities and future exploration.
Acceso Abierto
The diverse meteorology of Jezero crater over the first 250 sols of Perseverance on Mars
(Nature Publishing Group, 2023-01-09) Rodríguez Manfredi, J. A.; De la Torre Juárez, M.; Sánchez Lavega, Agustín; Hueso, R.; Martínez, Germán M.; Lemmon, M. T.; Newman, C. E.; Munguira, A.; Hieta, M.; Tamppari, L. K.; Polkko, J.; Toledo, D.; Sebastian, D.; Smith, Michael D.; Jaakonaho, I.; Genzer, María; Vicente Retortillo, Álvaro; Viúdez Moreiras, Daniel; Ramos, Miguel; Saiz López, A.; Lepinette Malvitte, A.; Wolff, Michael; Sullivan, R. J.; Gómez Elvira, J.; Apéstigue, Víctor; Conrad, P.; Del Río Gaztelurrutia, T.; Murdoch, N.; Arruego, Ignacio; Banfield, D.; Boland, J.; Brown, Adrian Jon; Ceballos Cáceres, J.; Domínguez Pumar, M.; Espejo, S.; Fairén, A.; Ferrándiz Guibelalde, Ricardo; Fischer, E.; García Villadangos, M.; Giménez Torregrosa, S.; Gómez Gómez, F.; Guzewich, Scott; Harri, Ari-Matti; Jiménez Martín, Juan José; Jiménez, V.; Makinen, Terhi; Marín Jiménez, M.; Martín Rubio, C.; Martín Soler, J.; Molina, A.; Mora Sotomayor, L.; Navarro López, Sara; Peinado, V.; Pérez Grande, I.; Pla García, J.; Postigo, M.; Prieto-Ballesteros, Olga; Rafkin, Scot C. R.; Richardson, M. I.; Romeral, J.; Romero Guzmán, Catalina; Savijärvi, H.; Schofield, J. T.; Torres, J.; Urquí, R.; Zurita, S.; NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA); European Commission (EC); Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO); Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); California Institute of Technology (CIT); Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737
NASA’s Perseverance rover’s Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer is collecting data at Jezero crater, characterizing the physical processes in the lowest layer of the Martian atmosphere. Here we present measurements from the instrument’s first 250 sols of operation, revealing a spatially and temporally variable meteorology at Jezero. We find that temperature measurements at four heights capture the response of the atmospheric surface layer to multiple phenomena. We observe the transition from a stable night-time thermal inversion to a daytime, highly turbulent convective regime, with large vertical thermal gradients. Measurement of multiple daily optical depths suggests aerosol concentrations are higher in the morning than in the afternoon. Measured wind patterns are driven mainly by local topography, with a small contribution from regional winds. Daily and seasonal variability of relative humidity shows a complex hydrologic cycle. These observations suggest that changes in some local surface properties, such as surface albedo and thermal inertia, play an influential role. On a larger scale, surface pressure measurements show typical signatures of gravity waves and baroclinic eddies in a part of the seasonal cycle previously characterized as low wave activity. These observations, both com
Acceso Abierto
The dynamic atmospheric and aeolian environment of Jezero crater, Mars
(Science Publishin Group, 2022-05-25) Newman, C. E.; Hueso, R.; Lemmon, M. T.; Munguira, A.; Vicente Retortillo, Álvaro; Apéstigue, Víctor; Martínez, Germán M.; Toledo, D.; Sullivan, Robert; Herkenhoff, K. E.; De la Torre Juárez, M.; Richardson, M. I.; Stott, A.; Murdoch, N.; Sánchez Lavega, Agustín; Wolff, Michael; Arruego, I.; Sebastián, E.; Navarro López, Sara; Gómez Elvira, J.; Tamppari, L. K.; Smith, Michael D.; Lepinette Malvitte, A.; Viúdez Moreiras, Daniel; Harri, Ari-Matti; Genzer, María; Hieta, M.; Lorenz, R. D.; Conrad, Pamela G.; Gómez, Felipe; McConnochie, Tim H.; Mimoun, D.; Tate, C.; Bertrand, T.; Belli, J. F.; Maki, Justin N.; Rodríguez Manfredi, J. A.; Wiens, R. C.; Chide, B.; Maurice, S.; Zorzano, María-Paz; Mora Sotomayor, L.; Baker, M. M.; Banfield, D.; Pla García, J.; Beyssac, O.; Brown, Adrian Jon; Clark, B.; Montmessin, F.; Fischer, E.; Patel, P.; Del Río Gaztelurrutia, T.; Fouchet, T.; Francis, R.; Guzewich, Scott; Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA); Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN); Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO); Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); Gobierno Vasco; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737
Despite the importance of sand and dust to Mars geomorphology, weather, and exploration, the processes that move sand and that raise dust to maintain Mars’ ubiquitous dust haze and to produce dust storms have not been well quantified in situ, with missions lacking either the necessary sensors or a sufficiently active aeolian environment. Perseverance rover’s novel environmental sensors and Jezero crater’s dusty environment remedy this. In Perseverance’s first 216 sols, four convective vortices raised dust locally, while, on average, four passed the rover daily, over 25% of which were significantly dusty (“dust devils”). More rarely, dust lifting by nonvortex wind gusts was produced by daytime convection cells advected over the crater by strong regional daytime upslope winds, which also control aeolian surface features. One such event covered 10 times more area than the largest dust devil, suggesting that dust devils and wind gusts could raise equal amounts of dust under nonstorm conditions.
Acceso Abierto
The sound of a Martian dust devil
(Nature, 2022-12-13) Murdoch, N.; Stott, A. E.; Gillier, M.; Hueso, R.; Lemmon, M. T.; Martínez, Germán M.; Apéstigue, Víctor; Toledo, D.; Lorenz, R. D.; Chide, B.; Munguira, A.; Sánchez Lavega, Agustín; Vicente Retortillo, Álvaro; Newman, C. E.; Maurice, S.; De la Torre Juárez, M.; Bertrand, T.; Banfield, D.; Navarro López, Sara; Marín, M.; Torres, J.; Gómez Elvira, J.; Jacob, Xavier; Cadu, A.; Sournac, A.; Rodríguez Manfredi, J. A.; Mimoun, D.; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); Centre National D'Etudes Spatiales (CNES); NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL); Comunidad de Madrid; Gobierno Vasco; Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); Los Alamos National Laboratory; Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737
Dust devils (convective vortices loaded with dust) are common at the surface of Mars, particularly at Jezero crater, the landing site of the Perseverance rover. They are indicators of atmospheric turbulence and are an important lifting mechanism for the Martian dust cycle. Improving our understanding of dust lifting and atmospheric transport is key for accurate simulation of the dust cycle and for the prediction of dust storms, in addition to being important for future space exploration as grain impacts are implicated in the degradation of hardware on the surface of Mars. Here we describe the sound of a Martian dust devil as recorded by the SuperCam instrument on the Perseverance rover. The dust devil encounter was also simultaneously imaged by the Perseverance rover’s Navigation Camera and observed by several sensors in the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer instrument. Combining these unique multi-sensorial data with modelling, we show that the dust devil was around 25 m large, at least 118 m tall, and passed directly over the rover travelling at approximately 5 m s−1. Acoustic signals of grain impacts recorded during the vortex encounter provide quantitative information about the number density of particles in the vortex. The sound of a Martian dust devil was inaccessible until SuperCam microphone recordings. This chance dust devil encounter demonstrates the potential of acoustic data for resolving the rapid wind structure of the Martian atmosphere and for directly quantifying wind-blown grain fluxes on Mars.
Acceso Abierto
Vortices and Dust Devils on Jezero Crater, Mars: inner thermal structure and dependence on surface properties
(EGU General Assembly, 2024-05-16) Hueso, R.; Munguira, A.; Newman, C. E.; Martínez, Germán M.; Sánchez Lavega, Agustín; Del Río Gaztelurrutia, T.; Toledo, D.; Apéstigue, Víctor; Arruego, Ignacio; Pla García, J.; Lemmon, M. T.; Lorenz, Ralph; Vicente Retortillo, Álvaro; Navarro López, Sara; Stott, Alexander; Murdoch, N.; Gillier, M.; De la Torre Juárez, M.; Rodríguez Manfredi, J. A.