Work

Quantifying High‐Frequency Migrating Tides in the Atmosphere of Mars With Observations From EMIRS, Curiosity and Perseverance

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Thermal tides are global oscillations driven by periodic solar heating that strongly influence circulation and vertical coupling in the Martian atmosphere. Previous studies have focused on the first and second migrating harmonics, while recent work has revealed higher‐frequency harmonics in surface pressure records. However, these detections are limited to single locations, and spacecraft observations have only confirmed global structure up to the third harmonic. Here, we present the first planetary‐scale characterization of migrating thermal tides up to the eighth harmonic as observed in remotely sensed temperature observations from the Emirates Mars Mission, sampling the lower atmosphere, and surface pressure measurements from the Curiosity and Perseverance landers. We examine the latitudinal and seasonal structure and show that high‐frequency migrating tides have deep vertical structure with little phase variation with height, suggestive of near‐resonant Lamb wave structure. Nearly identical seasonal amplitude‐phase evolution across the longitudinally separated landers, indicate dominance of migrating tides.

Source: Geophysical Research Letters

DOI: 10.1029/2025gl118933

Authors: Aishwarya Kumar, Scott L. England, R. John Wilson, Amanda S. Brecht

Institutions: Virginia Tech, Ames Research Center

Language: English

Topic: Planetary Science and Exploration

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,190

Funders: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Nuclear Safety and Security Commission