Mars' South Polar Ar Enhancement: A Tracer for South Polar Seasonal Meridional Mixing

The gamma ray spectrometer on the Mars Odyssey spacecraft measured an enhancement of atmospheric argon over southern high latitudes during autumn followed by dissipation during winter and spring. Argon does not freeze at temperatures normal for southern winter (∼145 kelvin) and is left in the atmosp...

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Published inScience (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 306; no. 5700; pp. 1364 - 1367
Main Authors Sprague, A. L., Boynton, W. V., Kerry, K. E., Janes, D. M., Hunten, D. M., Kim, K. J., Reedy, R. C., Metzger, A. E.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published 19.11.2004
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Summary:The gamma ray spectrometer on the Mars Odyssey spacecraft measured an enhancement of atmospheric argon over southern high latitudes during autumn followed by dissipation during winter and spring. Argon does not freeze at temperatures normal for southern winter (∼145 kelvin) and is left in the atmosphere, enriched relative to carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), as the southern seasonal cap of CO 2 frost accumulates. Calculations of seasonal transport of argon into and out of southern high latitudes point to meridional (north-south) mixing throughout southern winter and spring.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
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ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1098496