HR: 0800h
AN: P11A-0962    [Abstracts]
TI: Variation of Non-Condensables in the Martian Atmosphere
AU: * Xiao, J
EM: jiafang@gps.caltech.edu
AF: Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91125 United States
AU: Richardson, M I
EM: mir@gps.caltech.edu
AF: Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91125 United States
AB: The Martian atmosphere is dominated by CO{_2}, but a small fraction is made up of non-condensables, predominantly Ar and N{_2}. These non-condensables make up about 4.7% of the atmosphere, but this fraction is likely not constant over the seasonal cycle or spatially. The reason for this is that the major gas, CO{_2} condenses in the autumn pole and sublimes at the spring pole, concentrating and diluting, respectively, the non-condensable mass-mixing ratio. The purpose of this study has been to examine the seasonal cycle of non-condensables with a Martian General Circulation Model (GCM) to provide a basis of comparison with data becoming available from the Mars Odyssey spacecraft, and to provide insight into the evolving non-condensable distributions. The model includes a full seasonal cycle of CO{_2} and atmospheric dust.
DE: 5405 Atmospheres--composition and chemistry
DE: 5409 Atmospheres--structure and dynamics
DE: 5462 Polar regions
DE: 6225 Mars
DE: 3319 General circulation
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting