Gravity waves, cold pockets and CO2 clouds in the Martian mesosphere

Abstract

Many independent measurements have shown that extremely cold temperatures are found in the Martian mesosphere. These mesospheric "cold pockets" may result from the propagation of atmospheric waves. Recent observational achievements also hint at such cold pockets by revealing mesospheric clouds formed through the condensation of CO2, the major component of the Martian atmosphere. Thus far, modeling studies addressing the presence of cold pockets in the Martian mesosphere have explored the influence of large-scale circulations. Mesoscale phenomena, such as gravity waves, have received less attention. Here we show through multiscale meteorological modeling that mesoscale gravity waves could play a key role in the formation of mesospheric cold pockets propitious to CO2 condensation. © 2012 by the American Geophysical Union.