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Cloud-tracked winds for the first Mars Global Surveyor mapping year

Wang, Huiqun and Ingersoll, Andrew P. (2003) Cloud-tracked winds for the first Mars Global Surveyor mapping year. Journal of Geophysical Research E, 108 (E9). Art. No. 5110. ISSN 0148-0227. doi:10.1029/2003JE002107. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20121212-150815846

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Abstract

We have measured winds using cloud motion in consecutive Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) wide-angle global map swaths taken during the first mapping year (L s 135°–360°–111°). We present a total of ∼11,200 wind vectors collected in the north polar region during L_s 135°–195° (late summer/early fall) and L_s 20°–55° (mid spring) and in the south polar region during L_s 337°–10° (late summer/early fall). For cases with good coverage, we also present the derived mean zonal and meridional winds and the associated eddies. The speed of the zonal winds in 60°N–70°N increases at ∼0.6 m/s/°L_s in late northern summer, and that in 60°S–70°S increases at a rate of ∼0.7 m/s/°L_s in late southern summer. The latitudinal distribution of zonal wind within 50°N–75°N from mid northern summer to early northern fall indicates that winds at higher latitudes are generally weaker than those at lower latitudes, but the rate of increase with time is faster at higher latitudes. There is a cyclonic gyre in the 90°W–0°–30°E sector in the north polar region. There are large-scale waves in the weekly mean meridional wind and in the biweekly mean eddy momentum flux and eddy kinetic energy fields in the north polar region from mid to late summer. The cloud-tracked winds in the north are generally consistent with winds calculated by general circulation model at the water condensation level derived from MGS Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) observations but appear stronger than the gradient winds derived from TES assuming no flow at the surface.


Item Type:Article
Related URLs:
URLURL TypeDescription
http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2003JE002107 DOIArticle
ORCID:
AuthorORCID
Ingersoll, Andrew P.0000-0002-2035-9198
Additional Information:© 2003 American Geophysical Union. Received 22 April 2003; accepted 20 June 2003; published 30 September 2003. We thank Michael D. Smith for providing us gradient winds in digital form. We thank Don Banfield and an anonymous reviewer for comments about improving this paper.
Subject Keywords:Keywords: Mars; winds; cloud tracking; Mars Global Surveyor; circulation; eddy. Index terms: 5409 Planetology: Solid Surface Planets: Atmospheres— structure and dynamics; 5462 Planetology: Solid Surface Planets: Polar regions; 5464 Planetology: Solid Surface Planets: Remote sensing; 5445 Planetology: Solid Surface Planets: Meteorology (3346); 6225 Planetology: Solar System Objects: Mars
Issue or Number:E9
DOI:10.1029/2003JE002107
Record Number:CaltechAUTHORS:20121212-150815846
Persistent URL:https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20121212-150815846
Official Citation:Wang, H. and A. P. Ingersoll (2003), Cloud-tracked winds for the first Mars Global Surveyor mapping year, J. Geophys. Res., 108(E9), 5110, doi:10.1029/2003JE002107.
Usage Policy:No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided.
ID Code:35955
Collection:CaltechAUTHORS
Deposited By:INVALID USER
Deposited On:19 Dec 2012 21:53
Last Modified:09 Nov 2021 23:18

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