P21A-2039
MAVEN IUVS-NGIMS-model ionospheric comparisons and insights
Tuesday, 15 December 2015
Poster Hall (Moscone South)
Majd Mayyasi1, John T Clarke1, Joseph Scott Evans2, Sonal Jain3, Paul R Mahaffy4, Mehdi Benna5 and the IUVS Team, the NGIMS team, (1)Boston University, Boston, MA, United States, (2)Computational Physics Inc. Springfield, Springfield, VA, United States, (3)University of Colorado at Boulder, LASP, Boulder, CO, United States, (4)NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, MD, United States, (5)NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, United States
Abstract:
MAVEN is measuring the composition and abundances of neutral and ion species in the atmosphere of Mars at ionospheric altitudes with both the IUVS and NGIMS instruments. IUVS low-resolution spectra are analyzed to retrieve the density profiles of neutrals such as CO2, CO, N2 and O as well as the density profiles of ions such as CO2+ using the Generalized Retrieval and Analysis Tool [Evans et al., 2015]. NGIMS detector counts are used to provide densities of neutral and ion species with mass to charge ratios between 2 and 150. The retrieved density profiles of neutral and ion species common to both instruments are compared for similar observing conditions and at overlapping altitudes. The BU Mars Ionospheric Model (BUMIM) uses a neutral atmospheric profile and a solar irradiance spectrum to generate ionospheric density profiles [Matta, 2013]. BUMIM simulations, tuned for MAVEN observing conditions, will be compared with IUVS and NGIMS measurements of ion densities. Comparisons of the instrument results are discussed for insights on inter-instrument verification and technique validation. Data-model comparisons will be used to interpret ionospheric dynamics.
