Mars Global Surveyor is providing the first observations of transient eddies in the southern hemisphere of Mars. We derive basic properties of the traveling eddies that appear in midwinter (Ls = 134°-148°) through analysis of radio occultation measurements at 67°-70°S latitude. The dominant mode has a period of ∼2 solar days and a zonal wavenumber s = 3. Strong zonal variations in eddy amplitude signal the presence of a possible "storm zone" at 150°-330°E longitude. Within this longitude band the eddies achieve peak amplitudes at the 300-Pa pressure level of ∼7 K in temperature and 10-15 ms-1 in meridional wind speed. The minimum temperature associated with the eddies is ∼2 K colder than saturation of CO2, close to the threshold where nucleation and growth of new ice particles can occur. A simulation by a Mars general circulation model produces traveling eddies that closely resemble the observations.
CITATION STYLE
Hinson, D. P., & Wilson, R. J. (2002). Transient eddies in the southern hemisphere of Mars. Geophysical Research Letters, 29(7), 58-1-58–4. https://doi.org/10.1029/2001GL014103
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