On the Seasonal Variations of the Ion Precipitation Down to the Upper Atmosphere of Mars

We investigate the seasonal variations of ion precipitation, utilizing observations from the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission spanning from 2014 January 4 to 2023 February 14. Our analysis reveals that a diminishing pattern characterizes the transition from Mars season L s 0°–180° to M...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Astrophysical journal 2024-01, Vol.960 (2), p.99
Main Authors: Qiu, Xinzhi, Yu, Yiqun, Gong, Fan, Ma, Longxing, Lu, Haoyu, Cao, Jinbin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astrophysics
Deceleration
Horizontal orientation
Ion flux
Ion fluxes
Ion precipitation
Ions
Magnetic fields
Mars
Mars atmosphere
Planetary atmospheres
Planetary ionospheres
Seasonal variations
Solar wind
Upper atmosphere
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We investigate the seasonal variations of ion precipitation, utilizing observations from the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission spanning from 2014 January 4 to 2023 February 14. Our analysis reveals that a diminishing pattern characterizes the transition from Mars season L s 0°–180° to Mars season L s 180°–360°, manifesting as a reduction in precipitating ion fluxes. Additionally, we discern a significant influence of the crustal magnetic field on the seasonal variations in precipitating ion fluxes. Intriguingly, within regions where the crustal magnetic field exhibits a strong quasi-horizontal orientation, opposite seasonal trends become evident. The underlying physical mechanism driving these seasonal variations in ion precipitation is probably attributed to the mass loading effect that may decelerate the solar wind and influence the magnetic pileup. A detailed investigation is further demanded in the future.
ISSN:0004-637X
1538-4357
DOI:10.3847/1538-4357/ad0b11