Martian atmospheric water vapor abundances in MY26-30 from Mars Express PFS/LW observations

Abstract

I report on retrievals of water vapor abundances in the Martian atmosphere using observations by Planetary Fourier Spectrometer Long Wavelength channel (PFS/LW) aboard the Mars Express (MEx) spacecraft. PFS/LW observations used in this work cover almost 4 Martian Years from Ls ~ 331° in MY26 (January 2004) to Ls ~ 209° in MY30 (December 2010). Vapor abundances were retrieved from nadir spectra collected over a range of latitudes, seasons and local hours. Most of the retrieved abundances correspond to daytime observations at local hours from 8 to 17 h. The spatial and temporal coverage of retrieved abundances varies significantly between years of observations, with the best coverage in MY27 and MY29. The average annual water vapor cycle observed by PFS/LW is qualitatively similar to the cycle observed by the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) onboard Mars Global Surveyor (MGS), however the PFS/LW abundances are systematically lower. The likely reason for this difference is the difference in the respective water vapor absorption models. Comparison between PFS/LW abundances for time periods with low atmospheric dust opacity between different years of observations does not show significant interannual variability. PFS/LW abundances are significantly lower than the abundances retrieved from observations by Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) in MY29. The difference is likely due to the differences in retrieval models for different spectral regions used by CRISM and PFS/LW to retrieve water vapor abundances and due to different environmental parameters used in the retrievals. PFS/LW abundances are generally similar to abundances retrieved by the SPICAM IR instrument, except in the polar regions during summer. The difference likely arises because of non-uniform vertical distribution of water vapor in the summer polar atmospheres and different sensitivities of the two instruments to vertical distribution of vapor. The PFS/LW observed systematic longitudinal dependence of scaled vapor abundances in the northern tropics with two maxima at longitudes ~30–60°E and ~ 240–270°E. This longitudinal dependence resembles a standing wave forced in the local atmospheric flow by topography and surface thermo-physical properties. The longitudinal non-uniformity of water vapor possibly shows a seasonal dependence increasing around solstices and decreasing around equinoxes. During northern spring in the Northern Polar Region (NPR) PFS/LW observed an increase of vapor near the edge of the seasonal cap interpreted as a buildup of vapor by repeated cycles of water ice freezing and sublimation at the cap edge. Similar, but weaker and longitudinally non-uniform increase in vapor near the edge of the seasonal cap is observed in the Southern Polar Region (SPR) during spring. Tentative signs of water vapor diurnal variability were observed in the PFS/LW data over northern mid-latitudes during late spring and early summer, potentially reflecting vapor exchange between the regolith and the atmosphere.