Carbon dioxide clouds in an early dense Martian atmosphere

Abstract

We use a time‐dependent, microphysical cloud model to study the formation of carbon dioxide clouds in the Martian atmosphere. Laboratory studies by Glandorf et al. [2002] show that high critical supersaturations are required for CO2 cloud particle nucleation and that surface kinetic growth is not limited. These conditions, which are similar to those for cirrus clouds on Earth, lead to the formation of carbon dioxide ice particles with radii greater than 500 μm and concentrations less than 0.1 cm−3 for typical atmospheric conditions. Within the current Martian atmosphere, CO2 cloud formation is possible at the poles during winter and possibly at high altitudes in the tropics. In both cases, temperature perturbations of several degrees below the CO2 saturation temperature are required to nucleate new cloud particles, suggesting that dynamical processes are the most common initiators of carbon dioxide clouds rather than diabatic cooling. The microphysical cloud model, coupled to a two‐stream radiative transfer model, is used to reexamine the impact of CO2 clouds on the surface temperature within a dense CO2 atmosphere. The formation of carbon dioxide clouds leads to a warmer surface than what would be expected for clear sky conditions, but it also warms the atmosphere. The amount of surface warming is sensitive to the presence of dust and water vapor in the atmosphere, both of which act to dampen cloud effects. The radiative warming of the atmosphere associated with cloud formation, as well as latent heating, work to dissipate the clouds when present. In these simulations, clouds never last for periods much longer than several days, limiting their overall effectiveness for warming the surface. The time average cloud optical depth is approximately unity leading to a 5–10 K surface warming, depending on the surface pressure. The surface temperature does not rise above the freezing point of liquid water even for pressures as high as 5 bars, at a solar luminosity of 75% the current value. Our model shows that warming of the surface‐atmosphere system by carbon dioxide clouds is self‐limiting, since by heating the air the clouds cause themselves to dissipate. However, further analysis of the climatic effects of carbon dioxide clouds considering their global distribution and properties is warranted.