Modeling the Martian ozone layer

Ozone (O3) is the most reactive species measured in the Martian atmosphere. Since the first modeling studies carried out in the early 1970s, it has been known that the abundance of ozone on Mars is tightly controlled by the hydrogen radicals produced by the photolysis and oxidation of water vapor. Thus, ozone is a sensitive tracer of the hydrogen photochemistry that stabilizes the Mars CO2 atmosphere. It also provides important information on the conditions of habitability of the planet, not only by determining the ultraviolet flux reaching the surface, but also as an indirect tracer of the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere by hydrogen oxides. Quantitative understanding of Martian ozone is therefore of potentially great significance, but has often been problematic with the one-dimensional models used until now. After an introduction to the main features of the Martian atmosphere and photochemistry, I will describe the characteristics and results of the new coupled chemistry-climate general circulation model developed jointly at Service d'Aéronomie/LMD (Paris) and IAA. Recent ozone measurements performed from the Earth or in orbit by the Mars-Express mission will also be presented and compared to our calculations.

 

Fecha: 
03/02/2006 - 13:00
Conferenciante: 
Franck Lefèvre
Filiación: 
Service d'Aéronomie & Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía - CSIC


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