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Atmospheric oscillations with daily periodicity are observed in in situ near-surface pressure, temperature, and winds observations and also in remotely sensed temperature and pressure observations of the Martian atmosphere. Such oscillations are interpreted as thermal tides driven by the diurnal cycle of solar radiation and occur at various frequencies, with the most prominent being the diurnal, semidiurnal, terdiurnal, and quadiurnal tides. Mars global circulation models reproduce these tides with varying levels of success. Until recently, both the MarsWRF and newly developed MarsMPAS models were able to produce realistic diurnal and semidiurnal tide amplitudes but predicted higher-order mode amplitudes that were significantly weaker than observed. We use linear wave analysis to show that the divergence damping applied within both MarsWRF and MarsMPAS is responsible for suppressing the amplitude of thermal tides with frequency greater than 2 per sol, despite being designed to suppress only acoustic wave modes. Decreasing the strength of the divergence damping in MarsWRF and MarsMPAS allows for excellent prediction of the higher-order tidal modes. This finding demonstrates that care must be taken when applying numerical dampers and filters that may eliminate some desired dynamical features in planetary atmospheres.

We present a new planetary global circulation model, planetMPAS, based on the state-of-the-art NCAR MPAS General Circulation Model. Taking advantage of the cross compatibility between WRF and MPAS, planetMPAS includes most of the planetWRF physics parameterization schemes for terrestrial planets such as Mars and Titan. PlanetMPAS also includes a set of physics that represents radiative transfer, dry convection, moist convection and its associated microphysics for the Jovian atmosphere. We demonstrate that, despite the rigid-lid approximation, planetMPAS is suitable to simulate the climate systems in Martian and Jovian atmospheres with potential application to slow-rotating planets such as Titan. Simulations using planetMPAS show that the new model can reproduce many aspects of the observed features on Mars and Jupiter, such as the seasonal CO2 cycle, polar argon enrichment, zonal mean temperature, and qualitative dust opacity on Mars, as well as the equatorial superrotation and banded zonal wind patterns on Jupiter., Manuscript has 61 pages, 20 figures, 2 tables, submitted to Planetary and Space Science

The subgrid spatial variability of water vapor is an important geophysical parameter for modeling tropical convention and cloud processes in atmospheric models. This study maps sub-kilometer spatial structures in total atmospheric column water vapor with visible to shortwave infrared (VSWIR) imaging spectroscopy. We describe our inversion approach and validate its accuracy with coincident measurements by airborne imaging spectrometers and the AERONET ground-based observation network. Next, data from NASA's AVIRIS-NG spectrometer enable the highest-resolution measurement to date of water vapor's spatial variability and scaling properties. We find second-order structure function scaling exponents consistent with prior studies of convective atmospheres. Airborne lidar data show that this total column measurement provides information about variability in the lower troposphere. We conclude by discussing the implications of these measurements and paths toward future campaigns to build upon these results.

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO-2) carries a hyperspectral A-band sensor that can obtain information about cloud geometric thickness (H). The OCO2CLD-LIDAR-AUX product retrieved H with the aid of collocated CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation) lidar data to identify suitable clouds and provide a priori cloud top pressure (Ptop). This collocation is no longer possible, since CALIPSO's coordination flying with OCO-2 has ended, so here we introduce a new cloud flagging and a priori assignment using only OCO-2 data, restricted to ocean footprints where solar zenith angle <45∘. Firstly, a multi-layer perceptron network was trained to identify liquid clouds over the ocean with sufficient optical depth (τ>1) for a valid retrieval, and agreement with MODIS–CALIPSO (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) is 90.0 %. Secondly, we developed a lookup table to simultaneously retrieve cloud τ, effective radius (re) and Ptop from A-band and CO2 band radiances, with the intention that these will act as the a priori state estimate in a future retrieval. Median Ptop difference vs. CALIPSO is 12 hPa with an inter-decile range of [-11,87]hPa, substantially better than the MODIS–CALIPSO range of [-83,81]hPa. The MODIS–OCO-2 τ difference is 0.8[-3.8,6.9], and re is -0.3[-2.8,2.1]µm. The τ difference is due to optically thick and horizontally heterogeneous cloud scenes. As well as an improved passive Ptop retrieval, this a priori information will allow for a purely OCO-2-based Bayesian retrieval of cloud droplet number concentration (Nd). Finally, our cloud flagging procedure may also be useful for future partial-column above-cloud CO2 abundance retrievals.

Early Mars had rivers, but the cause of Mars’s wet-to-dry transition remains unknown. Past climate on Mars can be probed using the spatial distribution of climate-sensitive landforms. We analyzed global databases of water-worked landforms and identified changes in the spatial distribution of rivers over time. These changes are simply explained by comparison to a simplified meltwater model driven by an ensemble of global climate model simulations, as the result of ≳10 K global cooling, from global average surface temperature T ¯ ≥ 268 K to T ¯ ~ 258 K, due to a weaker greenhouse effect. In other words, river-forming climates on early Mars were warm and wet first, and cold and wet later. Unexpectedly, analysis of the greenhouse effect within our ensemble of global climate model simulations suggests that this shift was primarily driven by waning non-CO 2 radiative forcing, and not changes in CO 2 radiative forcing.

This article has a correction. Please see: Erratum for the Research Article: “The dynamic atmospheric and aeolian environment of Jezero crater, Mars” - 10 February 2023 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. We gratefully acknowledge the huge effort by the entire Mars 2020 team to meet our launch date despite the COVID-19 pandemic, to land and deploy instruments successfully in Jezero crater, and to conduct operations on the surface of Mars since February 2021. This paper arose from discussions within the Mars 2020 Atmospheres Working Group but would not have been possible without the tremendous contributions of everyone involved in Mars 2020 operations. We wish to especially pay tribute to the many team members based in Europe who regularly work through the night as MEDA or SuperCam Payload Uplink and Downlink Leads (PULs/PDLs) or in other roles and to all those who had shifts as Atmospheres Working Group representatives during this period. Last, we gratefully acknowledge the very helpful and constructive comments from both anonymous reviewers. Funding: R.H., A.S.-L., A.M., and T.d.R.-G. are supported by Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation project PID2019-109467GB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ and Grupos Gobierno Vasco IT1366-19. I.A., D.T., and V.A. are supported by the Spanish National Research, Development, and Innovation Program through the grants RTI2018-099825-B-C31, ESP2016-80320-C2-1-R, and ESP2014-54256-C4-3-R. L.M., S.N., and J.G.-E. are supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, projects ESP2014-54256-C4-1-R and AYA2015-65041-P; the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities, projects ESP2016-79612-C3-1-R, ESP2016-80320-C2-1-R, RTI2018-098728-B-C31, and RTI2018-099825-B-C31; and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation’s Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology, projects RTI2018-098728-B-C31 and RTI2018-099825-B-C31. Á.V.-R. and M.-P.Z. are supported by Spanish State Research Agency (AEI) project no. MDM-2017-0737 Unidad de Excelencia “María de Maeztu”–Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC). M.-P.Z. is supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, PID2019-104205GB-C21. M.M.B. and M.-P.Z. are supported by NASA’s Mars 2020 Participating Scientist Program. All other authors were supported by funding from the Mars 2020 mission, part of the NASA Mars Exploration Program. Work by C.E.N. was additionally funded by the InSight Participating Scientist Program.A portion of this work was performed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with NASA and funding by SMD, GCD, and STMD. Peerreview

C. E. Newman, H. Kahanpaa, M. I. Richardson, G. M. Martinez, A. Vicente‐Retortillo, M. T. Lemmon

Large eddy simulation (LES) of the Martian convective boundary layer (CBL) with a Mars-adapted version of the Weather Research and Forecasting model (MarsWRF) is used to examine aerosol dust radiat...

A weak coupling between the rotational and orbital angular momenta of Mars has been postulated to produce a ‘coupling term acceleration’ (CTA) that accelerates the wind field and is asynchronous with the seasonal cycle of solar forcing (Shirley, 2017). This paper presents the first GCM simulations of a fully interactive dust cycle with the CTA included, enabling storm sizes, onset times and locations to be predicted. The inclusion of the CTA greatly augments interannual variability in the occurrence and timing of GDS, with the nature of the storm season strongly linked to the phasing and amplitude of the orbit-spin coupling. This dramatically improves the model's skill at predicting GDS and non-GDS Mars Years (MY) compared to a GCM without CTA forcing. The model is clearly wrong in only 4 out of 22 well-observed storm seasons and is able to capture the general onset time of most observed storms as well as some onset locations. In years when the CTA forcing has large positive amplitudes around perihelion, GDS with onset near perihelion occur due to a net strengthening of the single-cell Hadley circulation at this time, while earlier (or later) GDS are likely produced by more localized constructive interference between the CTA and tidal/topographic flows at a time of peak forcing amplitudes. The latter may be more sensitive to errors in the assumed surface dust availability, which may explain why a late GDS observed in MY 10 is not predicted. Depletion of surface dust in source regions by GDS in prior years may have prevented a GDS from occurring in the real MY 17, when a large GDS is incorrectly predicted. Early GDS are observed but not predicted in two MYs (12 and 25) with large negative CTA forcing amplitudes around perihelion, which may be associated with a lack of water cycle coupling in these simulations. Other missing physical processes, imperfect dust parameterizations or parameter values, the assumption of unlimited surface dust availability, or the wrong CTA strength may account for other mismatches. A GDS is predicted close to perihelion in the current storm season, MY34 (2018), with a smaller GDS predicted later next Mars year, MY35 (2020). The CTA forcing in MY 34 is very similar to that of MY 21, in which a GDS is correctly predicted by the model.

The MarsWRF Mars general circulation model (GCM) with radiatively active dust and orbit-spin coupling reproduces the observational record of Mars years with and without global dust storms (GDS) with a success rate of 77%. Atmospheric conditions diagnostic to the occurrence or non-occurrence of GDS were successfully simulated in 17 of the 22 Mars years of the available historic record. Statistical significance at the 99% level is obtained in a comparison of success rates between an occurrence model with stochastic forcing and those of the GCM forced by orbit-spin coupling. These results provide proof of concept for the orbit-spin coupling hypothesis as a factor contributing to the observed interannual variability of the weather and climate of Mars.

Change in global mean surface temperature (ΔGMST), based on a blend of land air and ocean water temperatures, is a widely cited climate change indicator that informs the Paris Agreement goal to limit global warming since preindustrial to “well below” 2°C. Assessment of current ΔGMST enables determination of remaining target‐consistent warming and therefore a relevant remaining carbon budget. In recent IPCC reports, ΔGMST was estimated via linear regression or differences between decade‐plus period means. We propose nonlinear continuous local regression (LOESS) using ±20 year windows to derive ΔGMST across all periods of interest. Using the three observational GMST data sets with almost complete interpolated spatial coverage since the 1950s, we evaluate 1850–1900 to 2019 ΔGMST as 1.14°C with a likely (17%–83%) range of 1.05°C–1.25°C, based on combined statistical and observational uncertainty, compared with linear regression of 1.05°C over 1880–2019. Performance tests in observational data sets and two model large ensembles demonstrate that LOESS, like period mean differences, is unbiased. However, LOESS also provides a statistical uncertainty estimate and gives warming through 2019, rather than the 1850–1900 to 2010–2019 period mean difference centered at the end of 2014. We derive historical global near‐surface air temperature change (ΔGSAT), using a subset of CMIP6 climate models to estimate the adjustment required to account for the difference between ocean water and ocean air temperatures. We find ΔGSAT of 1.21°C (1.11°C–1.32°C) and calculate remaining carbon budgets. We argue that continuous nonlinear trend estimation offers substantial advantages for assessment of long‐term observational ΔGMST.

Despite receiving just 30% of the Earth’s present-day insolation, Mars had water lakes and rivers early in the planet’s history, due to an unknown warming mechanism. A possible explanation for the >10(2)-y-long lake-forming climates is warming by water ice clouds. However, this suggested cloud greenhouse explanation has proved difficult to replicate and has been argued to require unrealistically optically thick clouds at high altitudes. Here, we use a global climate model (GCM) to show that a cloud greenhouse can warm a Mars-like planet to global average annual-mean temperature ([Formula: see text]) ∼265 K, which is warm enough for low-latitude lakes, and stay warm for centuries or longer, but only if the planet has spatially patchy surface water sources. Warm, stable climates involve surface ice (and low clouds) only at locations much colder than the average surface temperature. At locations horizontally distant from these surface cold traps, clouds are found only at high altitudes, which maximizes warming. Radiatively significant clouds persist because ice particles sublimate as they fall, moistening the subcloud layer so that modest updrafts can sustain relatively large amounts of cloud. The resulting climates are arid (area-averaged surface relative humidity ∼25%). In a warm, arid climate, lakes could be fed by groundwater upwelling, or by melting of ice following a cold-to-warm transition. Our results are consistent with the warm and arid climate favored by interpretation of geologic data, and support the cloud greenhouse hypothesis.

Funding Information: Guzewich, Smith, and Khayat were supported by the MSL Participating Scientist program. de la Torre Juarez, Newman, Kahanp??, Vi?dez-Moreiras, and Richardson were supported by the Mars Science Laboratory mission. Mason was supported by the NASA Postdoctoral Program, administered by the Universities Space Research Association. A portion of this research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NM0018D0004). Funding Information: Guzewich, Smith, and Khayat were supported by the MSL Participating Scientist program. de la Torre Juarez, Newman, Kahanpää, Viúdez‐Moreiras, and Richardson were supported by the Mars Science Laboratory mission. Mason was supported by the NASA Postdoctoral Program, administered by the Universities Space Research Association. A portion of this research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NM0018D0004). Publisher Copyright: © 2021. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. Surface pressure measurements on Mars have revealed a wide variety of atmospheric phenomena. The Mars Science Laboratory Rover Environmental Monitoring Station pressure sensor data set is now the longest duration record of surface pressure on Mars. We use the first 2580 Martian sols, nearly 4 Mars years, of measurements to identify atmospheric pressure waves with periods of tens of minutes to hours using wavelet analysis on residual pressure after the tidal harmonics are removed. We find these waves have a clear diurnal cycle with strongest activity in the early morning and late evening and a seasonal cycle with the strongest waves in the second half of the martian year (Ls = 180–360°). The strongest such waves of the entire mission occurred during the Mars Year 34 global dust storm. Comparable atmospheric waves are identified using atmospheric modeling with the MarsWRF general circulation model in a “nested” high spatial resolution mode. With the support of the modeling, we find these waves best fit the expected properties of inertia-gravity waves with horizontal wavelengths of O(100s) of km.

Nine simulations are used to predict the meteorology and aeolian activity of the Mars 2020 landing site region. Predicted seasonal variations of pressure and surface and atmospheric temperature generally agree. Minimum and maximum pressure is predicted at Ls similar to 145 degrees and 250 degrees, respectively. Maximum and minimum surface and atmospheric temperature are predicted at Ls similar to 180 degrees and 270 degrees, respectively; i.e., are warmest at northern fall equinox not summer solstice. Daily pressure cycles vary more between simulations, possibly due to differences in atmospheric dust distributions. Jezero crater sits inside and close to the NW rim of the huge Isidis basin, whose daytime upslope (similar to east-southeasterly) and nighttime downslope (similar to northwesterly) winds are predicted to dominate except around summer solstice, when the global circulation produces more southerly wind directions. Wind predictions vary hugely, with annual maximum speeds varying from 11 to 19 ms(-1) and daily mean wind speeds peaking in the first half of summer for most simulations but in the second half of the year for two. Most simulations predict net annual sand transport toward the WNW, which is generally consistent with aeolian observations, and peak sand fluxes in the first half of summer, with the weakest fluxes around winter solstice due to opposition between the global circulation and daytime upslope winds. However, one simulation predicts transport toward the NW, while another predicts fluxes peaking later and transport toward the WSW. Vortex activity is predicted to peak in summer and dip around winter solstice, and to be greater than at InSight and much greater than in Gale crater. We are grateful to reviewers Lori Fenton and Mackenzie Day for their detailed and insightful comments that resulted in a greatly improved manuscript. C.E.N. and M.I.R. were supported in this work by NASA Mars 2020 funding under JPL grant number 1514618. C.E.N. would also like to acknowledge the companionship of her beloved cat Sparky and the support of her fantastic mother Brenda during the writing of this manuscript during the COVID-19 pandemic. LMD co-authors F.F. and A.S. acknowledge funding support from Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) and European Space Agency (ESA) and technical support for the enclosed simulations by E. Millour and L. Montabone. T.B. was supported for this research by an appointment to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Post-doctoral Program at the Ames Research Center administered by Universities Space Research Association (USRA) through a contract with NASA. L.N. and F.D. acknowledge funding support from the European Space Agency (ESA) PROgramme de Developpement d'Experiences scientifiques (PRODEX) Office, contract no. Prodex_NOMADMarsScience_C4000121493_2017-2019. M.T.J.'s work was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology under a NASA Mars 2020 grant. R.S.'s work was supported under NASA Mars 2020 grant number 80NM0018F0616. S.R.L. thanks the UK Space Agency for support under grants ST/R001405/1, ST/S00145X/1 and ST/T002913/1.

As one of the main drivers for climate change, it is important to understand changes in anthropogenic aerosol emissions and evaluate the climate impact. Anthropogenic aerosols have affected global climate while exerting a much larger influence on regional climate by their short lifetime and heterogeneous spatial distribution. In this study, the effective radiative forcing (ERF), which has been accepted as a useful index for quantifying the effect of climate forcing, was evaluated to understand the effects of aerosol on regional climate over a historical period (1850&ndash, 2014). Eastern United States (EUS), Western European Union (WEU), and Eastern Central China (ECC), are regions that predominantly emit anthropogenic aerosols and were analyzed using Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 6 (CMIP6) simulations implemented within the framework of the Aerosol Chemistry Model Intercomparison Project (AerChemMIP) in the UK&rsquo, s Earth System Model (UKESM1). In EUS and WEU, where industrialization occurred relatively earlier, the negative ERF seems to have been recovering in recent decades based on the decreasing trend of aerosol emissions. Conversely, the radiative cooling in ECC seems to be strengthened as aerosol emission continuously increases. These aerosol ERFs have been largely attributed to atmospheric rapid adjustments, driven mainly by aerosol-cloud interactions rather than direct effects of aerosol such as scattering and absorption.

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) carries a hyperspectral A-band sensor that can obtain information about cloud geometric thickness (H). The OCO2CLD-LIDAR-AUX product retrieved H with the aid of collocated CALIPSO lidar data to identify suitable clouds and provide a priori cloud-top pressure (Ptop). This collocation is no longer possible since CALIPSO's coordination flying with OCO-2 has ended, so here we introduce a new cloud flagging and a priori assignment using only OCO-2 data, restricted to ocean footprints where solar zenith angle 1) for a valid retrieval, and agreement with MODIS-CALIPSO is 90.0 %. Secondly, we developed a lookup table to simultaneously retrieve cloud τ, effective radius (re) and Ptop from A-band and CO2 band radiances. Median Ptop difference versus CALIPSO is 12 hPa with interdecile range [−11,87] hPa, substantially better than the MODIS-CALIPSO [−83,81] hPa. The MODIS-OCO-2 τ difference is 0.8 (−3.8,6.9) and re is −0.3 [−2.8,2.1] μm. The tau difference is due to optically thick and horizontally heterogeneous cloud scenes. As well as an improved passive Ptop retrieval, this a priori information will allow a purely OCO-2 based Bayesian retrieval of cloud droplet number concentration (Nd). Finally, our cloud flagging procedure may also be useful for future partial column above-cloud CO2 abundance retrievals.

Recent Arctic sea ice retreat has been quicker than the projection in most general circulation model (GCM) simulations. Natural factors may have amplified this, but reliable attribution and projection requires accurate representation of relevant physical processes. In the meeting, we will present results indicating robust links between CloudSat-CALIPSO falling ice and Arctic sea ice melting from observations and global climate modelings. Most current GCMs don’t fully represent falling ice radiative effects (FIREs). We find that a small set of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, phase 5 (CMIP5) models that include FIREs tend to show a faster Arctic sea ice retreat. We investigate this using controlled simulation with the CESM1-CAM5 model both in present-day and 1%CO2 scenarios. With FIREs, CESM1-CAM5 simulates more realistic present-day annual and seasonal variations of radiation and skin temperatures and Arctic sea ice coverage and thickness. Over 60—90 °N oceans, simulated radiative flux trends are similar but the current-day state differs substantially due to FIREs. Falling ice reduces downward shortwave and increase downward longwave, resulting in an improved agreement with the satellite-based CERES-EBAF surface dataset. Under 1pctCO2 simulations, including FIREs results in the first occurrence of an “ice free” Arctic (extent < 1×106 km2) in year 64, compared with year 91 otherwise. We propose that the equivalent greenhouse effects from falling ice results in fewer safe spaces in which sea ice can thicken during winter, resulting in a thinner pack whose retreat is more easily triggered by global warming. However, this explanation does not apply across the CMIP5 ensemble members. Our results therefore only apply to one model but we have shown that this can have substantial implications for Arctic sea ice projection. Given that falling ice interaction with radiation in reality, we propose that including FIREs in models is a high priority.

Mars exhibits less atmospheric variability at the solstices than it does during periods nearer the equinoxes. Much of this variability in air temperature and dust activity is attributable to a significant decrease in eastward traveling transient wave amplitudes in the lower atmosphere near the solstice. Previous versions of the Mars Weather Research and Forecasting (MarsWRF) model using only dust radiative forcing have reproduced the nature but not the magnitude of this ‘solsticial pause’ in atmospheric variability. In this paper, we use a version of MarsWRF that includes a fully-interactive dust and water cycle to simulate winter solsticial pauses under a range of dust and water ice conditions. The upgraded model specifically includes a new hybrid binned/two-moment microphysics model that simulates dust, water ice, and cloud condensation nuclei. The scheme tracks mass and number density for the three particle types throughout the atmosphere and allows advection by resolved winds, mixing by unresolved processes, and sedimentation that depends on particle size and density. Ice and dust particles interact with radiation in the atmosphere using a Mie scattering parameterization that allows for variable particle size and composition. Heterogeneous nucleation and condensation use an adaptive bin size scheme to accurately track the particle size during condensation and sublimation processes. All microphysical processes in the model are calculated within the dynamical timesteps using stability-guaranteed implicit calculations with no sub-timestepping. The impact of the addition of water processes to the model was assessed by comparing simulations with only interactive dust (dry simulations) and ones with a fully-interactive dust and water cycle (wet simulations). In dry simulations with dust storms a solsticial pause occurs in the northern winter with a magnitude (or ‘depth’) that depends on the opacity of the southern summer dust storms. In wet simulations that include water ice and dust particles, deep solsticial pauses are found in both winter hemispheres. In all simulations that reproduce the solsticial pause, energy and instability analysis suggest that a decrease in baroclinic instability and increase in barotropic energy conversion occurs during the solsticial pause. In dry simulations the decrease in baroclinic instability is caused by increased dust opacity leading to increased thermal static stability. In wet simulations, additional opacity from local cap-edge ice clouds reduces the near surface wind shear and further inhibits baroclinic eddy growth. The wet simulations are in better agreement with observations and tend to support results from other models that include ice cloud radiative effects.

We use the MarsWRF general circulation model to examine the temporal and spatial response of the atmosphere to idealized local and regional dust storm radiative heating. The ability of storms to modify the atmosphere away from the location of dust heating is a likely prerequisite for dynamical feedbacks that aid the growth of storms beyond the local scale, while the ability of storms to modify the atmosphere after the cessation of dust radiative heating is potentially important in preconditioning the atmosphere prior to large scale storms. Experiments were conducted over a range of static, prescribed storm sizes, durations, optical depth strengths, locations, and vertical extents of dust heating. Our results show that for typical sizes (order 105 km2) and durations (1–10 sols) of local dust storms, modification of the atmosphere is less than the typical variability of the unperturbed (storm-free) state. Even if imposed on regional storm length scales (order 106 km2), a 1-sol duration storm similarly does not significantly modify the background atmosphere. Only when imposed for 10 sols does a regional dust storm create a significant impact on the background atmosphere, allowing for the possibility of self-induced dynamical storm growth. These results suggest a prototype for how the subjective observational categorization of storms may be related to objective dynamical growth feedbacks that only become available to storms after they achieve a threshold size and duration, or if they grow into an atmosphere preconditioned by a prior large and sustained storm.

Most of the global climate models (GCMs) in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, phase 5 do not include precipitating ice (aka falling snow) in their radiation calculations. We examine the importance of the radiative effects of precipitating ice on simulated surface wind stress and sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in terms of seasonal variation and in the evolution of central Pacific El Niño (CP‐El Niño) events. Using controlled simulations with the CESM1 model, we show that the exclusion of precipitating ice radiative effects generates a persistent excessive upper‐level radiative cooling and an increasingly unstable atmosphere over convective regions such as the western Pacific and tropical convergence zones. The invigorated convection leads to persistent anomalous low‐level outflows which weaken the easterly trade winds, reducing upper‐ocean mixing and leading to a positive SST bias in the model mean state. In CP‐El Niño events, this means that outflow from the modeled convection in the central Pacific reduces winds to the east, allowing unrealistic eastward propagation of warm SST anomalies following the peak in CP‐El Niño activity. Including the radiative effects of precipitating ice reduces these model biases and improves the simulated life cycle of the CP‐El Niño. Improved simulations of present‐day tropical seasonal variations and CP‐El Niño events would increase the confidence in simulating their future behavior.

Analysis of dust and water ice variation is carried out using observations from the Mars Climate Sounder (MCS), which includes the data for six years (during Martian years 29–34). This study only used the nighttime observations, as these profiles extend closer to the surface compared to the daytime. The correlation between dust opacity and water ice opacity is found to switch sign between the low-dust northern spring and summer (LS ​= ​0°–180°) and high-dust southern spring and summer seasons (LS ​= ​180°–360°). Density-scaled opacity profiles show the correlation between dust and water ice variability over the southern hemisphere and the tropics, which alters between 20 and 40 ​km altitudes. The positive correlation during the low-dust period over the latitudes 40–80°S is mainly controlled by the water ice cycle in the south polar hood clouds. Whereas the water ice cycle within the tropical cloud belt (TCB) serves as a primary controlling factor, and the presence of atmospheric dust prevails only in its formation stage within the latitudes -20 – 40°N. During the high-dust period, at southern latitudes, significant dust lifting and the associated temperature change are found to be the reason for the strong negative correlation with ice clouds. And in tropical latitudes, the significant positive relationship at relatively high altitudes (∼40 ​km) is possibly due to the presence of thin or haze clouds. The global dust storm occurrence only modulates the correlation behavior during the high-dust period, and the influence is seen above ∼40 ​km altitude that indicates an enhanced vertical advection sustained till late northern winter. Based on analysis of observational data and simulations with the MarsWRF model, it is found that the difference in correlation behavior between low and high-dust seasons could be explained from the variations in the planetary boundary layer height. Moreover, the dust and water ice interaction pattern has a prominent seasonal variation that is influenced by the water ice cycle, dust cycle, or the dust-ice microphysical relationship. It also has an altitudinal dependency, which changes between low-dust, high-dust, or global dust storm scenarios.

We create a vertically coarse, but complete, vertical profile of dust mixing ratio from the surface to the upper atmosphere over Gale Crater, Mars, using the frequent joint atmospheric observations of the orbiting Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) and the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover. Using these data and an estimate of planetary boundary layer (PBL) depth from the MarsWRF general circulation model, we divide the vertical column into three regions. The first region is the Gale Crater PBL, the second is the MCS-sampled region, and the third is between these first two. We solve for a well-mixed dust mixing ratio within this third (middle) layer of atmosphere to complete the profile. We identify a unique seasonal cycle of dust within each atmospheric layer. Within the Gale PBL, dust mixing ratio maximizes near southern hemisphere summer solstice (Ls = 270°) and minimizes near winter solstice (Ls = 90-100°) with a smooth sinusoidal transition between them. However, the layer above Gale Crater and below the MCS-sampled region more closely follows the global opacity cycle and has a maximum in opacity near Ls = 240° and exhibits a local minimum (associated with the "solsticial pause" in dust storm activity) near Ls = 270°. With knowledge of the complete vertical dust profile, we can also assess the frequency of high-altitude dust layers over Gale. We determine that 36% of MCS profiles near Gale Crater contain an "absolute" high-altitude dust layer wherein the dust mixing ratio is the maximum in the entire vertical column.

This study evaluates changes in simulated Pacific climate between two ECMWF re-analyses; the ERA Interim (ERAI) and the newest ERA5. Changes in the Integrated Forecasting System (IFS) and possibly sea surface temperature result in greatly reduced discrepancies in ERA5’s ice water path (IWP), radiative fluxes and precipitation relative to satellite-based observational products. IWP shows the largest percentage change, increasing by over 300% from ERAI to ERA5, due to inclusion of falling ice (snow) that impacts radiative calculation. ERAI to ERA5 changes in high-cloud fraction are generally anticorrelated as expected with outgoing longwave radiation, with ERA5 having smaller longwave discrepancies versus CERES observations compared with ERAI. Reflected shortwave discrepancies are similarly reduced from ERAI to ERA5, which appears to be due to changes in both cloud fraction and optical depth. Finally, ERA5 also reduces a longstanding precipitation excess relative to the GPCP observational product in the southern trade winds region between the Southern Pacific and intertropical convergence zones. This appears to be related to cooler prescribed sea surface temperatures, thereby reducing local moisture supply via suppressing net latent heat flux and stronger surface trade-winds. Compared with GPCP and CERES, ERA5 shows similar geographic patterns of discrepancies to ERAI in terms of precipitation and top-of-atmosphere radiation, but their magnitudes are greatly reduced in ERA5.

Changes in heavy precipitation frequency can be viewed as a change in the event return period, a common metric of risk. Compared with intensity, frequency changes are less well-studied and past work has largely been constrained to analysis of well-instrumented regions. We exploit the latest ERA5 reanalysis and its global hourly accumulations at 1/4° spatial resolution and apply a metric that captures frequency changes across both wet and dry regions. According to ERA5 and in a global average sense, during 1989–2018, hourly events that occurred once per year in 1979–1988 increased in frequency by 71 (53–93, 95% range) %, while the one day per year heavy event frequency increased by 44 (37–54) %. Thus, hourly events that occurred once per year in the baseline decade are on track to double in frequency by 2021–2030, and the daily events by 2047–2056. Furthermore, our results replicate prior findings that relative frequency increases are larger for increasingly rare events, and for the first time we quantify that mean frequency increases have been greater over ocean than land. Ocean increases are larger by factors of 3.0 and 2.1 for the hourly and daily events that occurred once per year in 1979–1988, respectively.

A high density of REMS wind measurements were collected in three science investigations during MSL’s Bagnold Dunes Campaign, which took place over ~80 sols around southern winter solstice (Ls~90°) and constituted the first in situ analysis of the environmental conditions, morphology, structure, and composition of an active dune field on Mars. The Wind Characterization Investigation was designed to Available online 14 December 2016 fully characterize the near-surface wind field just outside the dunes and confirmed the primarily upslope/downslope flow expected from theory and modeling of the circulation on the slopes of Aeolis Mons in this season. The basic pattern of winds is ‘upslope’ (from the northwest, heading up Aeolis Mons) during the daytime (~09:00–17:00 or 18:00) and ‘downslope’ (from the southeast, heading down Aeolis Mons) at night (~20:00 to some time before 08:00). Between these times the wind rotates largely clockwise, giving generally westerly winds mid-morning and easterly winds in the early evening. The timings of these direction changes are relatively consistent from sol to sol; however, the wind direction and speed at any given time shows considerable intersol variability. This pattern and timing is similar to predictions from the MarsWRF numerical model, run at a resolution of ~490 m in this region, although the model predicts the upslope winds to have a stronger component from the E than the W, misses a wind speed peak at ~09:00, and under-predicts the strength of daytime wind speeds by ~2–4 m/s. The Namib Dune Lee Investigation reveals ‘blocking’ of northerly winds by the dune, leaving primarily a westerly component to the daytime winds, and also shows a broadening of the 1 Hz wind speed distribution likely associated with lee turbulence. The Namib Dune Side Investigation measured primarily daytime winds at the side of the same dune, in support of aeolian change detection experiments designed to put limits on the saltation threshold, and also appears to show the influence of the dune body on the local flow, though less clearly than in the lee. Using a vertical grid with lower resolution near the surface reduces the relative strength of nighttime winds predicted by MarsWRF and produces a peak in wind speed at ~09:00, improving the match to the observed diurnal variation of wind speed, albeit with an offset in magnitude. The annual wind field predicted using this grid also provides a far better match to observations of aeolian dune morphology and motion in the Bagnold Dunes. However, the lower overall wind speeds than observed and disagreement with the observed wind direction at ~09:00 suggest that the problem has not been solved and that alternative boundary layer mixing schemes should be explored which may result in more mixing of momentum down to the near-surface from higher layers. These results demonstrate a strong need for in situ wind data to constrain the setup and assumptions used in numerical models, so that they may be used with more confidence to predict the circulation at other times and locations on Mars.

We analyze the complete set of in-situ meteorological data obtained from the Viking landers in the 1970s to today’s Curiosity rover to review our understanding of the modern near-surface climate of Mars, with focus on the dust, CO2 and H2O cycles and their impact on the radiative and thermodynamic conditions near the surface. In particular, we provide values of the highest confidence possible for atmospheric opacity, atmospheric pressure, near-surface air temperature, ground temperature, near-surface wind speed and direction, and near-surface air relative humidity and water vapor content. Then, we study the diurnal, seasonal and interannual variability of these quantities over a span of more than twenty Martian years. Finally, we propose measurements to improve our understanding of the Martian dust and H2O cycles, and discuss the potential for liquid water formation under Mars’ present day conditions and its implications for future Mars missions. Understanding the modern Martian climate is important to determine if Mars could have the conditions to support life and to prepare for future human exploration.

In situ measurements by the Curiosity rover provide a unique opportunity for studying the effects of dust on assets placed at the surface of Mars. Here we use in situ measurements of solar UV radiation to quantify the seasonal and interannual variability of dust accumulation on the sensor on the rover deck. We show that the amount of dust accumulated on the sensor follows a seasonal cycle, with net dust removal during the perihelion season until Ls ~ 300°, and net dust deposition until the end of the aphelion season (Ls ~ 300°–180°). We use independent in situ measurements of atmospheric opacity and pressure perturbations in combination with numerical modeling, showing that daytime convective vortices and nighttime winds are likely responsible for the seasonal dust cleaning, with the role of nighttime wind being more important in Martian Year (MY) 32 than in MY 33 and that of daytime convective vortices being more important in MY 33 than in MY 32. The fact that the UV sensor is cleaner in MY 33 than in MY 32 indicates that natural cleaning events make solar energy an excellent candidate to power extended (multiannual) Mars missions at similar latitudes as the Curiosity rover.

Observations provide increasing evidence of a methane hydrological cycle on Titan. Earth-based and Cassini-based monitoring has produced data on the seasonal variation in cloud activity and location, with clouds being observed at increasingly low latitudes as Titan moved out of southern summer. Lakes are observed at high latitudes, with far larger lakes and greater areal coverage in the northern hemisphere, where some shorelines extend down as far as 50°N. Rainfall at some point in the past is suggested by the pattern of flow features on the surface at the Huygens landing site, while recent rainfall is suggested by surface change. As with the water cycle on Earth, the methane cycle on Titan is both impacted by tropospheric dynamics and likely able to impact this circulation via feedbacks. Here we use the 3D TitanWRF General Circulation Model (GCM) to simulate Titan’s methane cycle. In this initial work we use a simple large-scale condensation scheme with latent heat feedbacks and a finite surface reservoir of methane, and focus on large-scale dynamical interactions between the atmospheric circulation and methane, and how these impact seasonal changes and the long term (steady state) behavior of the methane cycle. We note five major conclusions: (1) Condensation and precipitation in the model is sporadic in nature, with interannual variability in its timing and location, but tends to occur in association with both (a) frequent strong polar upwelling during spring and summer in each hemisphere, and (b) the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), a region of increased convergence and upwelling due to the seasonally shifting Hadley cells. (2) An active tropospheric methane cycle affects the stratospheric circulation, slightly weakening the stratospheric superrotation produced. (3) Latent heating feedback strongly influences surface and near-surface temperatures, narrowing the latitudinal range of the ITCZ, and changing the distribution – and generally weakening the strength – of upwelling events. (4) TitanWRF favors low latitude ‘cloudiness’ around northern spring equinox as the ITCZ moves from south to north across the equator, versus the opposite time of year. (5) TitanWRF produces drying of low and mid latitudes with net transport of surface methane to high latitudes, and shows persistent hemispheric asymmetry in the methane cycle such that the favored pole for surface methane is the one with winter occurring closest to perihelion.

We use the Mars Weather Research and Forecasting (MarsWRF) General Circulation Model to simulate the atmospheric structure corresponding to the landing location and time of the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) Spirit (A) and Opportunity (B) in 2004. The multi-scale capability of MarsWRF facilitates high-resolution nested model runs centered near the landing site of each of the rovers. Dust opacity distributions based on measurements by Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) aboard the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft, and those from an old version of the Mars Climate Database (MCD v3.1 released in 2001) are used to study the sensitivity of the model temperature profile to variations in the dust prescription. The reconstructed Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) data from the rover missions are used for comparisons. We show that the model using dust opacity from TES limb and nadir data for the year of MER EDL, Mars Year 26 (MY26), yields temperature profiles in closer agreement with the reconstructed data than the pre-launch EDL simulations and models using other dust opacity specifications. The temperature at 100 Pa from the model (MY26) and the reconstruction are within 5° K. These results highlight the role of vertical dust opacity distribution in determining the atmospheric thermal structure. Similar studies involving data from past missions and models will be useful in understanding the extent to which atmospheric variability is captured by the models and in developing realistic pre-flight characterization required for future lander missions to Mars.

Observations of albedo on Mars suggest a largely invariant long-term mean surface dust distribution, but also reveal variations on shorter (seasonal to annual) timescales, particularly associated with major dust storms. We study the impact of finite surface dust availability on the dust cycle in the MarsWRF General Circulation Model (GCM), which uses radiatively active dust with parameterized ‘dust devil’ and wind stress dust lifting to enable the spontaneous production of dust storms, and tracks budgets of dust lifting, deposition, and total surface dust inventory. We seek a self-consistent, long-term ‘steady state’ dust cycle for present day Mars, consisting of (a) a surface dust distribution that varies from year to year but is constant longer-term and in balance with current dust redistribution processes, and (b) a fixed set of dust lifting parameters that continue to produce major storms for this distribution of surface dust. We relax the GCM’s surface dust inventory toward this steady state using an iterative process, in which dust lifting rate parameters are increased as progressively more surface sites are exhausted of dust. Late in the equilibration process, the GCM exhibits quasi-steady state behavior in which few new surface grid points are exhausted during a 60 year period with constant dust lifting parameters. Complex regional-scale dust redistribution occurs on time-scales from less than seasonal to decadal, and the GCM generates regional to global dust storms with many realistic features. These include merging regional storms, cross-equatorial storms, and the timing and location of several storm types, though very early major storms and large amounts of late storm activity are not reproduced. Surface dust availability in key onset and growth source regions appears vital for ‘early’ major storms, with replenishment of these regions required before another large storm can occur, whereas ‘late’ major storms appear primarily dependent on atmospheric variability. For the parameter space explored, no simulation achieves a steady state with continuing major storms lasting longer than 60 years when a constant wind stress lifting threshold is used. However, such a long-term steady state is achieved when a variable threshold is introduced, in which the threshold increases as dust is removed. This negative feedback on lifting slows it sufficiently for a balance to be produced between dust removal and re-deposition, even in key source regions for major storms. One concern is that the long-term surface dust distributions produced in these simulations show significant differences to the observed northern hemisphere albedo map, in particular predicting Tharsis and NE Arabia to be relatively dust-free. Although some observed high albedo regions may not have significant mobile dust, others likely have a dust cover several meters thick. The mismatches may reflect deficiencies in the GCM or the iterative process used, or the existence of ancient deep dust deposits formed during a past climate epoch.

Mars Daily Global Maps (MDGM) derived from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Mars Color Imager (MARCI) are used to study the distribution and evolution of large dust storms over the period from Mars years 24–30 (1999–2001). Large storms are defined here as discrete dust events visible in image sequences extending over at least 5 sols (Mars days) and where the dust covers areas beyond the origination region. A total of 65 large dust storms meeting these criteria are identified during the observational period and all are observed during the L s = 135–30° seasonal window. Dust storms originating in the northern and southern hemispheres appear to form two distinct families. All but two of the storms originating in the northern hemisphere are observed in two seasonal windows at L s = 180–240° and L s = 305–350°; while all but two of those originating in the southern hemisphere are observed during L s = 135–245°. None of the large dust storms originating in the northern hemisphere are observed to develop to global scale, but some of them develop into large regional storms with peak area >1 × 10 7 km 2 and duration on the order of several weeks. In comparison, large dust storms originating in the southern hemisphere are typically much smaller, except notably in the two cases that expanded to global scale (the 2001 and 2007 global storms). Distinct locations of preferred storm origination emerge from the dust storm image sequences, including Acidalia, Utopia, Arcadia and Hellas. A route (trajectory) ‘graph’ for the observed sequences is provided. The routes are highly asymmetric between the two hemispheres. In the south, for non-global dust storms, the main routes are primarily oriented eastwest, whereas in the north, the routes are primarily north–south and zonally-concentrated into meridional channels. In a few impressive cases, storms originating in the northern hemisphere are observed to “flush” through Acidalia and Utopia, across the equator, and then branch in the low- and mid-southern latitudes. The origin of the 2007 global dust storm is ambiguous from the imaging data. Immediately prior to the global storm, a dust storm sequence from Chryse is identified. This storm’s connection to the explosive expansion observed to start from Noachis/West Hellas is unclear due to image coverage. This paper further identifies and describes three different styles of dust storm development, which we refer to as “consecutive dust storms”, “sequential activation” and “merging.” The evolution of a given dust storm sequence can exhibit different combinations of these growth styles at different stages of development. Dust storm sequences can overlap in time, which makes them good candidate to grow into larger scale.

We describe preliminary results from the first 100 sols of ground temperature measurements along the Mars Science Laboratory's traverse from Bradbury Landing to Rocknest in Gale. The ground temperature data show long-term increases in mean temperature that are consistent with seasonal evolution. Deviations from expected temperature trends within the diurnal cycle are observed and may be attributed to rover and environmental effects. Fits to measured diurnal temperature amplitudes using a thermal model suggest that the observed surfaces have thermal inertias in the range of 265–375 J m−2 K−1 s−1/2, which are within the range of values determined from orbital measurements and are consistent with the inertias predicted from the observed particle sizes on the uppermost surface near the rover. Ground temperatures at Gale Crater appear to warm earlier and cool later than predicted by the model, suggesting that there are multiple unaccounted for physical conditions or processes in our models. Where the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) descent engines removed a mobile layer of dust and fine sediments from over rockier material, the diurnal temperature profile is closer to that expected for a homogeneous surface, suggesting that the mobile materials on the uppermost surface may be partially responsible for the mismatch between observed temperatures and those predicted for materials having a single thermal inertia. Models of local stratigraphy also implicate thermophysical heterogeneity at the uppermost surface as a potential contributor to the observed diurnal temperature cycle.

We provide a preliminary interpretation of the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) pressure data from the first 100 Martian solar days (sols) of the Mars Science Laboratory mission. The pressure sensor is performing well and has revealed the existence of phenomena undetected by previous missions that include possible gravity waves excited by evening downslope flows, relatively dust-free convective vortices analogous in structure to dust devils, and signatures indicative of the circulation induced by Gale Crater and its central mound. Other more familiar phenomena are also present including the thermal tides, generated by daily insolation variations, and the CO2 cycle, driven by the condensation and sublimation of CO2 in the polar regions. The amplitude of the thermal tides is several times larger than those seen by other landers primarily because Curiosity is located where eastward and westward tidal modes constructively interfere and also because the crater circulation amplifies the tides to some extent. During the first 100 sols tidal amplitudes generally decline, which we attribute to the waning influence of the Kelvin wave. Toward the end of the 100 sol period, tidal amplitudes abruptly increased in response to a nearby regional dust storm that did not expand to global scales. Tidal phases changed abruptly during the onset of this storm suggesting a change in the interaction between eastward and westward modes. When compared to Viking Lander 2 data, the REMS daily average pressures show no evidence yet for the 1–20 Pa increase expected from the possible loss of CO2 from the south polar residual cap.

[1] Limb-scanning observations with the Mars Climate Sounder and Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) have identified discrete layers of enhanced dust opacity well above the boundary layer and a mean vertical structure of dust opacity very different from the expectation of well-mixed dust in the lowest 1–2 scale heights. To assess the impact of this vertical dust opacity profile on atmospheric properties, we developed a TES limb-scan observation-based three-dimensional and time-evolving dust climatology for use in forcing general circulation models (GCMs). We use this to force the MarsWRF GCM and compare with simulations that use a well-mixed (Conrath-ν) vertical dust profile and Mars Climate Database version 4 (MCD) horizontal distribution dust opacity forcing function. We find that simulated temperatures using the TES-derived forcing yield a 1.18 standard deviation closer match to TES temperature retrievals than a MarsWRF simulation using MCD forcing. The climatological forcing yields significant changes to many large-scale features of the simulated atmosphere. Notably the high-latitude westerly jet speeds are 10–20 m/s higher, polar warming collar temperatures are 20–30 K warmer near northern winter solstice and tilted more strongly poleward, the middle and lower atmospheric meridional circulations are partially decoupled, the migrating diurnal tide exhibits destructive interference and is weakened by 50% outside of equinox, and the southern hemisphere wave number 1 stationary wave is strengthened by up to 4 K (45%). We find the vertical dust distribution is an important factor for Martian lower and middle atmospheric thermal structure and circulation that cannot be neglected in analysis and simulation of the Martian atmosphere.

Observations suggest a strong correlation between curvilinear shaped traveling dust storms (observed in wide angle camera images) and eastward traveling zonal wave number m = 3 waves (observed in thermal data) in the northern mid and high latitudes during the fall and winter. Using the MarsWRF General Circulation Model, we have investigated the seasonality, structure and dynamics of the simulated m = 3 traveling waves and tested the hypothesis that traveling dust storms may enhance m = 3 traveling waves under certain conditions. Our standard simulation using a prescribed “MGS dust scenario” can capture the observed major wave modes and strong near surface temperature variations before and after the northern winter solstice. The same seasonal pattern is also shown by the simulated near surface meridional wind, but not by the normalized surface pressure. The simulated eastward traveling 1.4 T m = 3 waves are confined near the surface in terms of the temperature perturbation, EP flux and eddy available potential energy, and they extend higher in terms of the eddy winds and eddy kinetic energy. The signature of the simulated m = 3 traveling waves is stronger in the near surface meridional wind than in the near surface temperature field. Compared with the standard simulation, our test simulations show that the prescribed m = 3 traveling dust blobs can enhance the simulated m = 3 traveling waves during the pre- and post-solstice periods when traveling dust storms are frequently observed in images, and that they have negligible effect during the northern winter solstice period when traveling dust storms are absent. The enhancement is even greater in our simulation when dust is concentrated closer to the surface. Our simulations also suggest that dust within the 45–75°N band is most effective at enhancing the simulated m = 3 traveling waves. There are multiple factors influencing the strength of the simulated m = 3 traveling waves. Among those, our study suggests that weaker near surface static stability, larger near surface baroclinic parameter, and wave-form dust forcing for latitudinally extended dust storms are favorable. Further study is needed to fully understand the importance of these factors and others.

[1] We explore possible mechanisms for the generation of warm, wet climates on early Mars as a result of greenhouse warming by both water vapor and periodic volcanic trace emissions. The presence of both water vapor (a strong greenhouse gas) and other trace greenhouse gases (such as SO2) in a predominantly CO2 atmosphere may act, under certain conditions, to elevate surface temperatures above the freezing point of liquid water, at least episodically. Variations in obliquity are explored to investigate whether these periodic variations in insolation at Mars can broaden the regions or seasons where warm temperatures can exist. We use the Mars Weather Research and Forecasting general circulation model to perform several simulations of the conditions of the early martian atmosphere containing these gases and find global temperatures to be cooler than the elevated levels suggested by at least one recent study by Johnson et al. (2008). While achieving temperatures above 273 K globally remains challenging, the additional warming by greenhouse gases under certain obliquity states can permit for widespread seasonally warm conditions, which can help to explain the presence of fluvial surface features (e.g., valley networks) and hydrous minerals of post-Noachian age, a period when alternate methods do not convincingly explain the sustainability of liquid water. Furthermore, we find that global warming can be achieved with the presence of a darker surface globally, which is consistent with both widespread exposure of unweathered basaltic bedrock or the presence of a large surface ocean or sea.

Using CloudSat-CALIPSO ice water, cloud fraction, and radiation; Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) radiation; and long-term station-measured surface air temperature (SAT), we identified a substantial underestimation of the total ice water path, total cloud fraction, land surface radiative flux, land surface temperature (LST), and SAT during Northern Hemisphere winter in Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) models. We perform sensitivity experiments with the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Earth System Model version 1 (CESM1) in fully coupled modes to identify processes driving these biases. We found that biases in land surface properties are associated with the exclusion of downwelling longwave heating from precipitating ice during Northern Hemisphere winter. The land surface temperature biases introduced by the exclusion of precipitating ice radiative effects in CESM1 and CMIP5 both spatially correlate with winter biases over Eurasia and North America. The underestimated precipitating ice radiative effect leads to colder LST, associated surface energy-budget adjustments, and cooler SAT. This bias also shifts regional soil moisture state from liquid to frozen, increases snow cover, and depresses evapotranspiration (ET) and total leaf area index in Northern Hemisphere winter. The inclusion of the precipitating ice radiative effects largely reduces the model biases of surface radiative fluxes (more than 15 W m−2), SAT (up to 2–4 K), and snow cover and ET (25–30%), compared with those without snow-radiative effects.

We investigate the sensitivity of the circulation and thermal structure of the martian atmosphere to numerical model resolution in a general circulation model (GCM) using the martian implementation (MarsWRF) of the planetWRF atmospheric model. We provide a description of the MarsWRF GCM and use it to study the global atmosphere at horizontal resolutions from 7.5° × 9° to 0.5° × 0.5°, encompassing the range from standard Mars GCMs to global mesoscale modeling. We find that while most of the gross-scale features of the circulation (the rough location of jets, the qualitative thermal structure, and the major large-scale features of the surface level winds) are insensitive to horizontal resolution over this range, several major features of the circulation are sensitive in detail. The northern winter polar circulation shows the greatest sensitivity, showing a continuous transition from a smooth polar winter jet at low resolution, to a distinct vertically “split” jet as resolution increases. The separation of the lower and middle atmosphere polar jet occurs at roughly 10 Pa, with the split jet structure developing in concert with the intensification of meridional jets at roughly 10 Pa and above 0.1 Pa. These meridional jets appear to represent the separation of lower and middle atmosphere mean overturning circulations (with the former being consistent with the usual concept of the “Hadley cell”). Further, the transition in polar jet structure is more sensitive to changes in zonal than meridional horizontal resolution, suggesting that representation of small-scale wave-mean flow interactions is more important than fine-scale representation of the meridional thermal gradient across the polar front. Increasing the horizontal resolution improves the match between the modeled thermal structure and the Mars Climate Sounder retrievals for northern winter high latitudes. While increased horizontal resolution also improves the simulation of the northern high latitudes at equinox, even the lowest model resolution considered here appears to do a good job for the southern winter and southern equinoctial pole (although in detail some discrepancies remain). These results suggest that studies of the northern winter jet (e.g., transient waves and cyclogenesis) will be more sensitive to global model resolution that those of the south (e.g., the confining dynamics of the southern polar vortex relevant to studies of argon transport). For surface winds, the major effect of increased horizontal resolution is in the superposition of circulations forced by local-scale topography upon the large-scale surface wind patterns. While passive predictions of dust lifting are generally insensitive to model horizontal resolution when no lifting threshold is considered, increasing the stress threshold produces significantly more lifting in higher resolution simulations with the generation of finer-scale, higher-stress winds due primarily to better-resolved topography. Considering the positive feedbacks expected for radiatively active dust lifting, we expect this bias to increase when such feedbacks are permitted.

The Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) will investigate environ- mental factors directly tied to current habitability at the Martian surface during the Mars Sci- ence Laboratory (MSL) mission. Three major habitability factors are addressed by REMS: the thermal environment, ultraviolet irradiation, and water cycling. The thermal environment is determined by a mixture of processes, chief amongst these being the meteorological. Ac- cordingly, the REMS sensors have been designed to record air and ground temperatures, pressure, relative humidity, wind speed in the horizontal and vertical directions, as well as ultraviolet radiation in different bands. These sensors are distributed over the rover in four places: two booms located on the MSL Remote Sensing Mast, the ultraviolet sensor on the rover deck, and the pressure sensor inside the rover body. Typical daily REMS observa- tions will collect 180 minutes of data from all sensors simultaneously (arranged in 5 minute hourly samples plus 60 additional minutes taken at times to be decided during the course of the mission). REMS will add significantly to the environmental record collected by prior missions through the range of simultaneous observations including water vapor; the ability to take measurements routinely through the night; the intended minimum of one Martian year of observations; and the first measurement of surface UV irradiation. In this paper, we describe the scientific potential of REMS measurements and describe in detail the sensors that constitute REMS and the calibration procedures