Atmospheric Gravity Waves in Mars' Lower Atmosphere: Nadir Observations From OMEGA/Mars Express Data
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: We present the detection and characterization of mesoscale waves on the lower clouds of Mars (20–40 km) using hyperspectral images from the Observatoire pour la Minéralogie, l’Eau, les Glaces et l’Activité (OMEGA) onboard the European Mars Express space mission. We used image navigation and processing techniques based on contrast enhancement and geometrical projections to semi‐manually detect and manually characterize morphological properties of the detected waves, such as horizontal wavelength or packet length. Our study covers 3 Martian years, spanning from January 2004 (Mars Year 26) to January 2010 (Mars Year 29). We detected 263 wave packets, of which we characterized 125, revealing an average horizontal wavelength of 21 km, with detected waves spanning horizontal wavelengths between 6 and 83 km. Wave activity exhibited spatial and temporal variability, with larger wave packets concentrated in the northern hemisphere and most detections occurring during daytime. Seasonal patterns revealed higher wave activity during northern spring and autumn and southern winter, linked to regional topography, atmospheric density perturbations, and diurnal heating cycles. These findings provide insights into Martian atmospheric gravity waves and demonstrate the OMEGA data set's value for future studies of Mars's atmospheric dynamics.
DOI: 10.1029/2024je008726
Institutions: University of Lisbon, Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, European Space Astronomy Centre, Institute for Basic Science, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Aix-Marseille Université, Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, European Space Agency, European Space Research and Technology Centre
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,070
Awards: G1516346500, G1578237752, G1763632427, G2262748287, G274581676, G3424509515, G3480869486, G3840324753, G3891694003, G425668148, G451917667, G4724859719, Atmospheric Dynamics' studies of telluric planets using Space and ground based observations, G5143080163, G5224927334, G5385376234, G5454278309, G5677667711, G5965985481, G5967599077, G6367281397, G6861385127, Atmospheric Gravity Waves: a key process in Mars and Venus atmospheres, G7965899483, G939699906
OpenAlex ID: W4408307403