Abstract
<p><span class="fontstyle0">It is currently uncertain as to whether methane exists on Mars. Data from the Curiosity Rover suggests a<br />background methane concentration of a few tenths parts per billion whereas data from the Trace Gas Orbiter<br />suggest an upper limit of twenty parts per trillion. If methane exists on Mars then we do not understand fully the<br />physical and chemical processes affecting its lifetime. Atmospheric models suggest an over-estimate in the<br />lifetime by a factor of around six hundred compared with earlier observations. In the present work we assume the<br />Curiosity Rover background methane value and estimate the uncertainty in atmospheric chemistry and mixing<br />processes in our atmospheric column model 1D TERRA. Results suggest that these processes can only explain a<br />factor of ~sixteen lowering in the methane lifetime. This implies that if methane is present then additional,<br />currently unknown processes are required to explain the observed lifetime.</span> </p>
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