The roles of latent heating and dust in the structure and variability of the northern Martian polar vortex
dc.contributor.author | Ball, ER | |
dc.contributor.author | Mitchell, DM | |
dc.contributor.author | Seviour, WJM | |
dc.contributor.author | Thomson, SI | |
dc.contributor.author | Vallis, GK | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2021-09-30T12:30:36Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2021-09-24 | |
dc.description.abstract | The winter polar vortices on Mars are annular in terms of their potential vorticity (PV) structure, a phenomenon identified in observations, reanalysis and some numerical simulations. Some recent modeling studies have proposed that condensation of atmospheric carbon dioxide at the winter pole is a contributing factor to maintaining the annulus through the release of latent heat. Dust and topographic forcing are also known to be causes of internal and interannual variability in the polar vortices. However, coupling between these factors remains uncertain, and previous studies of their impact on vortex structure and variability have been largely limited to a single Martian global climate model (MGCM). Here, by further developing a novel MGCM, we decompose the relative roles of latent heat and dust as drivers for the variability and structure of the northern Martian polar vortex. We also consider how Martian topography modifies the driving response. By also analyzing a reanalysis dataset we show that there is significant dependence in the polar vortex structure and variability on the observations assimilated. In both model and reanalysis, high atmospheric dust loading (such as that seen during a global dust storm) can disrupt the vortex, cause the destruction of PV in the low-mid altitudes (> 0.1 hPa), and significantly reduce spatial and temporal vortex variability. Through our simulations, we find that the combination of dust and topography primarily drives the eddy activity throughout the Martian year, and that although latent heat release can produce an annular vortex, it has a relatively minor effect on vortex variability. | en_GB |
dc.description.sponsorship | Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) | en_GB |
dc.identifier.citation | Vol. 2 (5), article 203 | en_GB |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.3847/PSJ/ac1ba2 | |
dc.identifier.grantnumber | NE/S007504/1 | en_GB |
dc.identifier.grantnumber | NE/N014057/1 | en_GB |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10871/127291 | |
dc.language.iso | en | en_GB |
dc.publisher | IOP Publishing | en_GB |
dc.relation.url | https://doi.org/10.18113/ D3W375 | en_GB |
dc.relation.url | https://doi.org/10.5523/bris.3i92ii47fndkv2scy9jgrteg0x | en_GB |
dc.relation.url | http://www-Mars.lmd.jussieu.fr/Mars/info_web/ index.html | en_GB |
dc.rights | © 2021. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society. Open access. Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI. | en_GB |
dc.title | The roles of latent heating and dust in the structure and variability of the northern Martian polar vortex | en_GB |
dc.type | Article | en_GB |
dc.date.available | 2021-09-30T12:30:36Z | |
dc.description | This is the final version. Available on open access from IOP Publishing via the DOI in this record | en_GB |
dc.description | Data availability: OpenMARS data can be found in Holmes et al. (2019). EMARS data are available at https://doi.org/10.18113/ D3W375. The data derived from OpenMARS, EMARS, and Isca simulations and used to plot the figures within this paper are available from the University of Bristol data repository: doi:10.5523/bris.3i92ii47fndkv2scy9jgrteg0x. We would also like to thank the creators of the MCD for freely distributing the database. The MCD dust products used within this study are available at http://www-Mars.lmd.jussieu.fr/Mars/info_web/ index.html; see Madeleine et al. (2011) for details | en_GB |
dc.identifier.eissn | 2632-3338 | |
dc.identifier.journal | The Planetary Science Journal | en_GB |
dc.rights.uri | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ | en_GB |
dcterms.dateAccepted | 2021-08-05 | |
rioxxterms.version | VoR | en_GB |
rioxxterms.licenseref.startdate | 2021-09-24 | |
rioxxterms.type | Journal Article/Review | en_GB |
refterms.dateFCD | 2021-09-30T12:25:21Z | |
refterms.versionFCD | VoR | |
refterms.dateFOA | 2021-09-30T12:30:45Z | |
refterms.panel | B | en_GB |
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Except where otherwise noted, this item's licence is described as © 2021. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society. Open access. Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.