Gravity waves and high-altitude CO${}_2$ ice cloud formation in the Martian atmosphere

Abstract

We present the first general circulation model simulations that quantify and reproduce patches of extremely cold air required for CO${}_2$ condensation and cloud formation in the Martian mesosphere. They are created by subgrid-scale gravity waves (GWs) accounted for in the model with the interactively implemented spectral parameterization. Distributions of GW-induced temperature fluctuations and occurrences of supersaturation conditions are in a good agreement with observations of high-altitude CO${}_2$ ice clouds. Our study confirms the key role of GWs in facilitating CO${}_2$ cloud formation, discusses their tidal modulation, and predicts clouds at altitudes higher than have been observed to date.

Accepted for publication in Geophysical Research Letters (GRL)

References in corpus (1)

• Internal wave coupling processes in Earth's atmosphere

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