Dust and Clouds on Mars: The View from Mars Express

• Published in: Space science reviews Vol. 220; no. 6; p. 63
• Main Authors: Määttänen, A., Fedorova, A., Giuranna, M., Hernández-Bernal, J., Leseigneur, Y., Montmessin, F., Olsen, K. S., Sánchez-Lavega, A., Stcherbinine, A., Szantai, A., Tirsch, D., Vincendon, M., Willame, Y., Wolkenberg, P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.09.2024; Springer Nature B.V; Springer Verlag
• Subjects: Aerospace Technology and Astronautics; Astrophysics and Astroparticles; Atmosphere; Cameras; Climate science; Cloud formation; Clouds; Diurnal variations; Dust; Mars; Mars dust; Mars Express (ESA); Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Planetary orbits; Planetology; Sciences of the Universe; Space Exploration and Astronautics; Space Sciences (including Extraterrestrial Physics; Space telescopes; Storms; Trace gases; Winter; Mars; Mineral dust; Clouds; Atmosphere
• ISSN: 0038-6308; 1572-9672
• DOI: 10.1007/s11214-024-01092-z

European Space Agency’s Mars Express (MEX) has been orbiting Mars for 20 years and its instruments have provided a plethora of observations of atmospheric dust and clouds. These observations have been analysed to produce many unique views of the processes leading to dust lifting and cloud formation, and a full picture of the climatologies of dust and clouds has emerged. Moreover, the orbit of MEX enables viewing the planet at many local times, giving a unique access to the diurnal variations of the atmosphere. This article provides an overview of the observations of dust and clouds on Mars by MEX, complemented by the Trace Gas Orbiter that has been accompanying MEX on orbit for some years.