P23B-2125
Gravity Wave-induced High-altitude CO2 Ice Clouds in Mars' Atmosphere

Tuesday, 15 December 2015
Poster Hall (Moscone South)
Erdal Yigit1,2, Alexander S Medvedev3 and Paul Hartogh3, (1)George Mason University Fairfax, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Fairfax, VA, United States, (2)Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Gottingen, Germany, (3)Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany
Abstract:
First general circulation model simulations that quantify and reproduce patches of cold air required for CO2 condensation and ice cloud formation in Mars' atmosphere are presented. Results suggest that these ice clouds are generated by lower atmospheric small-scale gravity waves (GWs) accounted for in the model with the interactively implemented spectral GW parameterization of Yiğit et al. (2008). Distributions of GW-induced temperature fluctuations and occurrences of supersaturation
conditions are in a good qualitative agreement with observations of high-altitude CO2 ice clouds. Our study confirms the key role of subgrid-scale GWs in facilitating high-altitude CO2 cloud formation and predicts clouds at altitudes higher than have been observed to date.