The Martian environment observed by NOMAD on ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Carine Vandaele ◽  
Frank Daerden ◽  
Ian R. Thomas ◽  
Shohei Aoki ◽  
Cédric Depiesse ◽  
...  

<p>The NOMAD (“Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery”) spectrometer suite on board the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has been designed to investigate the composition of Mars' atmosphere, with a particular focus on trace gases, clouds and dust. The instrument probes the ultraviolet and infrared regions covering large parts of the 0.2-4.3 µm spectral range [1,2], with 3 spectral channels: a solar occultation channel (SO – Solar Occultation; 2.3–4.3 μm), a second infrared channel capable of nadir, solar occultation, and limb sounding (LNO – Limb Nadir and solar Occultation; 2.3–3.8 μm), and an ultraviolet/visible channel (UVIS – Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrometer, 200–650 nm). Since its arrival at Mars in April 2018, NOMAD performed solar occultation, nadir and limb observations dedicated to the determination of the composition and structure of the atmosphere.</p><p>NOMAD has been accumulating data about the Martian atmosphere and its surface since its insertion. We will present some results covering the atmosphere composition including clouds and dust, climatologies of water, carbon monoxide and ozone. We also report on the different discoveries highlighted by the instrument by pointing to a series of contributions to this conference that will present in detail several specific studies, like recent progress in the instrument calibration, the latest CO2 and temperature vertical profiles, studies of aerosol nature and distribution, water vapor profiles and variability, carbon monoxide vertical distribution, dayglow observations; detection of HCl, its vertical profiles and in general advances in the analysis of the spectra recorded by the three channels of NOMAD.</p><p>References</p><p>[1] Vandaele, A.C., et al., 2015. Planet. Space Sci. 119, 233-249.</p><p>[2] Vandaele et al., 2018. Space Sci. Rev., 214:80, doi.org/10.1007/s11214-11018-10517-11212.</p><p> </p>

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Carine Vandaele ◽  
Frank Daerden ◽  
Ian R. Thomas ◽  
Shohei Aoki ◽  
Cédric Depiesse ◽  
...  

<p>The NOMAD (“Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery”) spectrometer suite on board the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has been designed to investigate the composition of Mars' atmosphere, with a particular focus on trace gases, clouds and dust. The instrument probes the ultraviolet and infrared regions covering large parts of the 0.2-4.3 µm spectral range [1,2], with 3 spectral channels: a solar occultation channel (SO – Solar Occultation; 2.3–4.3 μm), a second infrared channel capable of nadir, solar occultation, and limb sounding (LNO – Limb Nadir and solar Occultation; 2.3–3.8 μm), and an ultraviolet/visible channel (UVIS – Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrometer, 200–650 nm).</p> <p>Since its arrival at Mars in April 2018, NOMAD performed solar occultation, nadir and limb observations dedicated to the determination of the composition and structure of the atmosphere. Here we report on the different discoveries highlighted by the instrument during its first full Martian year of observations: investigation of the 2018 Global dust storm and its impact on the water uplifting and escape, on temperature and pressure increases within the atmosphere; dust and ice clouds distribution; ozone measurements; dayglow observations; detection of HCl vertical profiles and in general advances in the analysis of the spectra recorded by the three channels of NOMAD.</p> <p>References</p> <p>[1] Vandaele, A.C., et al., 2015. Planet. Space Sci. 119, 233-249.</p> <p>[2] Vandaele et al., 2018. Space Sci. Rev., 214:80, doi.org/10.1007/s11214-11018-10517-11212.</p>


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Carine Vandaele ◽  
Arianna Piccialli ◽  
Ian R. Thomas ◽  
Frank Daerden ◽  
Shohei Aoki ◽  
...  

<p>The NOMAD (“Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery”) spectrometer suite on board the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has been designed to investigate the composition of Mars' atmosphere, with a particular focus on trace gases, clouds and dust probing the ultraviolet and infrared regions covering large parts of the 0.2-4.3 µm spectral range [1,2].</p><p>Since its arrival at Mars in April 2018, NOMAD performed solar occultation, nadir and limb observations dedicated to the determination of the composition and structure of the atmosphere. Here we report on the different discoveries highlighted by the instrument: investigation of the 2018 Global dust storm and its impact on the water uplifting and escape, its impact on temperature increases within the atmosphere as inferred by GCM modeling and observations, the dust and ice clouds distribution during the event, ozone measurements, dayglow observations and in general advances in the analysis of the spectra recorded by the three channels of NOMAD.</p><p>References</p><p>[1] Vandaele, A.C., et al., 2015. Planet. Space Sci. 119, 233-249.</p><p>[2] Vandaele et al., 2018. Space Sci. Rev., 214:80, doi.org/10.1007/s11214-11018-10517-11212.</p>


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arianna Piccialli ◽  
Ann Carine Vandaele ◽  
Yannick Willame ◽  
Cedric Depiesse ◽  
Loic Trompet ◽  
...  

<p>We will present two years of observation of <strong>dust</strong> and <strong>ozone</strong> vertical distribution obtained from <strong>NOMAD-UVIS solar occultations</strong>.</p><p>Atmospheric <strong>aerosols</strong> are ubiquitous in the Martian atmosphere and they strongly affect the Martian climate [1]. This is particularly true during dust storms. In June 2018, after a pause of 11 years, a planet-encircling dust storm took place on Mars that lasted two months.</p><p><strong>Ozone</strong>, on the other hand, is a species with a short chemical lifetime and characterized by sharp gradients at the day-night terminator due to photolysis [2]. Odd hydrogen radicals play an important role in the destruction of ozone. This results in a strong anti-correlation between O<sub>3</sub> and H<sub>2</sub>O [2].</p><p>The <strong>NOMAD</strong> (Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery) – operating onboard the ExoMars 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter satellite – started to acquire the first scientific measurements on 21 April 2018.</p><p>It is a spectrometer composed of 3 channels: 1) a solar occultation channel (SO) operating in the infrared (2.3-4.3 μm); 2) a second infrared channel LNO (2.3-3.8 μm) capable of doing nadir, as well as solar occultation and limb; and 3) an ultraviolet/visible channel UVIS (200-650 nm) that can work in the three observation modes [3,4]. The UVIS channel has a spectral resolution <1.5 nm. In the solar occultation mode it is mainly devoted to study the climatology of ozone and aerosols content [5].</p><p>Since the beginning of operations, on 21 April 2018, NOMAD-UVIS acquired more than <strong>3000 solar occultations</strong> with a complete coverage of the planet. NOMAD-UVIS spectra are simulated using the line-by-line radiative transfer code ASIMUT-ALVL developed at IASB-BIRA [6]. In a preliminary study based on SPICAM-UV solar occultations (see [7]), ASIMUT was modified to take into account the atmospheric composition and structure at the day-night terminator. As input for ASIMUT, we used gradients predicted by the 3D GEM-Mars v4 Global Circulation Model (GCM) [8,9].</p><p>NOMAD will help us improve our knowledge of the climatology of ozone and aerosols. In particular, we will have the rare opportunity to analyze the distribution of aerosols during a dust storm.</p><p>References:</p><p>[1] Määttänen, A., Listowski, C., Montmessin, F., Maltagliati, L., Reberac, A., Joly, L., Bertaux, J.L., Apr. 2013. Icarus 223, 892–941.</p><p>[2] Lefèvre, F., et al., Aug. 2008. Nature 454, 971–975.</p><p>[3] Vandaele, A.C., et al., Planetary and Space Science, Vol. 119,  pp. 233–249, 2015.</p><p>[4] Neefs, E., et al., Applied Optics, Vol. 54 (28),  pp. 8494-8520, 2015.</p><p>[5] M.R. Patel et al., In: Appl. Opt. 56.10 (2017), pp. 2771–2782. DOI: 10.1364/AO.56.002771.</p><p>[6] Vandaele, A.C., et al., JGR, 2008. 113 doi:10.1029/2008JE003140.</p><p>[7] Piccialli, A., Icarus, in press, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2019.113598.</p><p>[8] Neary, L., and F. Daerden (2018), Icarus, 300, 458–476, doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2017.09.028.</p><p>[9] Daerden et al., 2019, Icarus 326, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2019.02.030</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yannick Willame ◽  
Jon Mason ◽  
Ann C. Vandaele ◽  
Justin Erwin ◽  
Arianna Piccialli ◽  
...  

<p>The NOMAD (“Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery”) spectrometer suite on board the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) has been designed to investigate the composition of Mars' atmosphere using a suite of three spectrometers operating in the UV-visible and infrared. NOMAD is a spectrometer operating in ultraviolet (UV), visible and infrared (IR) wavelengths covering large parts of the 0.2-4.3 µm spectral range [1].</p> <p>The UV-visible “UVIS” instrument covers the spectral range from 200 to 650 nm and can perform solar occultation, nadir and limb observations [2]. The main purpose of UVIS is dedicated to the analysis and monitoring of ozone and aerosols such as dust and ice clouds.  In the present work we will present preliminary results of the aerosol retrieval in the UV recorded in nadir geometry: spatial and seasonal distribution of ice clouds and dust.</p> <div> <p> </p> <p>References<br />[1] Vandaele et al. 2018. Space Sci. Rev.<br />[2] Patel et al., 2017. Applied Optics.</p> </div> <p> </p>


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ekaterina Starichenko ◽  
Denis Belyaev ◽  
Alexander Medvedev ◽  
Anna Fedorova ◽  
Oleg Korablev ◽  
...  

<p>Atmospheric gravity waves (GW) are periodic oscillations of air masses that manifest themselves as fluctuations of density, temperature, pressure and other quantities. Studying vertical distributions of density and temperature helps to characterize vertical propagation of GWs and evaluate their influence on the coupling between atmospheric layers.</p><p>We report on the first results of GWs retrievals in the Martian atmosphere from the solar occultation experiment performed by the Atmospheric Chemistry Suite (ACS) onboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter TGO [1]. This is the first time when GWs were measured simultaneously in almost the entire atmosphere. The ACS is a set of infrared spectrometers operating on the orbit of Mars since April 2018. The mid-infrared channel (ACS-MIR) is a cross-dispersion spectrometer covering the 2.3–4.2 µm spectral range with the resolving power reaching ~30 000. In the solar occultation mode the spectrometer can observe thin layers of the Martian thermosphere and lower atmosphere in strong (e.g. 2.7 and 4.3 μm) and weak (about 3 μm) CO<sub>2</sub> absorption bands with vertical resolution ~1 km. The near-infrared channel (ACS-NIR) is another echelle spectrometer working in the 0.73–1.6 µm spectral range with the resolving power ~25000 [2]. Due to the high resolution, these instruments (operating simultaneously) allow for deriving the temperature, pressure and density fluctuations at the unprecedented altitude range from 10 to 180 km. The dataset we present consists of more than 100 vertical profiles derived at seasons from the second half of MY34 to the beginning of MY35 in the both Martian hemispheres. The data analysis in IKI is supported by the RSF grant #20-42-09035.</p><p> </p><p>REFERENCES</p><p>[1] Korablev O. et al., 2018. The Atmospheric Chemistry Suite (ACS) of three spectrometers for the ExoMars 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter. Space Sci. Rev., 214:7. DOI 10.1007/s11214-017-0437-6.</p><p>[2] Fedorova A. et al., 2020. Stormy water on Mars: The distribution and saturation of atmospheric water during the dusty season. Science, eaay9522. DOI: 10.1126/science.aay9522.</p>


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yannick Willame ◽  
Ann C. Vandaele ◽  
Arianna Piccialli ◽  
Cédric Depiesse ◽  
Frank Daerden ◽  
...  

<p>The NOMAD (“Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery”) spectrometer suite on board the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) has been designed to investigate the composition of Mars' atmosphere using a suite of three spectrometers operating in the UV-visible and infrared. NOMAD is a spectrometer operating in ultraviolet (UV), visible and infrared (IR) wavelengths covering large parts of the 0.2-4.3 µm spectral range [1].</p> <p>The UV-visible “UVIS” instrument covers the spectral range from 200 to 650 nm and can perform solar occultation, nadir and limb observations [2]. The main purpose of UVIS is dedicated to the analysis and monitoring of ozone and aerosols such as dust and ice clouds.  In the present work we will present preliminary results of UV retrievals recorded in nadir geometry: spatial and seasonal distribution of ice clouds, dust and ozone.</p>


2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 10747-10797
Author(s):  
A. Butz ◽  
H. Bösch ◽  
C. Camy-Peyret ◽  
M. Chipperfield ◽  
M. Dorf ◽  
...  

Abstract. Stratospheric O3 and NO2 abundances measured by different remote sensing instruments are inter-compared: (1) Line-of-sight absorptions and vertical profiles inferred from solar spectra in the ultra-violet (UV), visible and infrared (IR) wavelength ranges measured by the LPMA/DOAS (Limb Profile Monitor of the Atmosphere/Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy) balloon payload during balloon ascent/descent and solar occultation are examined with respect to internal consistency. (2) The balloon borne stratospheric profiles of O3 and NO2 are compared to collocated space-borne skylight limb observations of the Envisat/SCIAMACHY satellite instrument. The trace gas profiles are retrieved from SCIAMACHY spectra using different algorithms developed at the Universities of Bremen and Heidelberg and at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. A comparison scheme is used that accounts for the spatial and temporal mismatch as well as differing photochemical conditions between the balloon and satellite borne measurements. It is found that the balloon borne measurements internally agree to within ±10% and ±20% for O3 and NO2, respectively, whereas the agreement with the satellite is ±20% for both gases in the 20 km to 30 km altitude range and in general worse below 20 km.


2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 1293-1314 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Butz ◽  
H. Bösch ◽  
C. Camy-Peyret ◽  
M. Chipperfield ◽  
M. Dorf ◽  
...  

Abstract. Stratospheric O3 and NO2 abundances measured by different remote sensing instruments are inter-compared: (1) Line-of-sight absorptions and vertical profiles inferred from solar spectra in the ultra-violet (UV), visible and infrared (IR) wavelength ranges measured by the LPMA/DOAS (Limb Profile Monitor of the Atmosphere/Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy) balloon payload during balloon ascent/descent and solar occultation are examined with respect to internal consistency. (2) The balloon borne stratospheric profiles of O3 and NO2 are compared to collocated space-borne skylight limb observations of the Envisat/SCIAMACHY satellite instrument. The trace gas profiles are retrieved from SCIAMACHY spectra using different algorithms developed at the Universities of Bremen and Heidelberg and at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. A comparison scheme is used that accounts for the spatial and temporal mismatch as well as differing photochemical conditions between the balloon and satellite borne measurements. It is found that the balloon borne measurements internally agree to within ±10% and ±20% for O3 and NO2, respectively, whereas the agreement with the satellite is ±20% for both gases in the 20 km to 30 km altitude range and in general worse below 20 km.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document