Seasonal Variation of the Martian Inner Hot Oxygen Exosphere Observed by EMM/EMUS

Abstract

One of the primary objectives of the Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) is to study the seasonal variation of the upper atmosphere of Mars and associated changes in the escape of atmosphere to space. Here we present a preliminary analysis of the oxygen population in the inner exosphere (1.06-1.6 Martian radii) with nearly-contiguous sampling across all Martian seasons from early MY 36 to early MY 37. This oxygen is thought to be a non-thermal photochemically generated population driven by solar EUV, which can produce energetic atoms with sufficient velocity to escape Mars’ gravity. The observations are made by measuring the atomic oxygen emission at 130.4 nm using the Emirates Mars Ultraviolet Spectrometer (EMUS). We compare the brightness of the exospheric oxygen population with the thermospheric population ( < 1.06 Mars radii, or < 200 km) and find that the exosphere is much more responsive to seasonal variations in solar energy input. The seasonal variations cannot be explained by modulations in solar irradiance at 130.4 nm alone, and are consistent with the expectation that the extended oxygen exosphere at Mars is generated by a photochemical source.