Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite Observationsof the Martian Atmosphere: Temperature and Vertical Distribution of WaterVapor

M. A. Gurwell; E. A. Bergin; G. J. Melnick; M. L. N. Ashby; G. Chin; N. R. Erickson; P. F. Goldsmith; M. Harwit; J. E. Howe; S. C. Kleiner; D. G. Koch; D. A. Neufeld; B. M. Patten; R. Plume; R. Schieder; R. L. Snell; J. R. Stauffer; V. Tolls; Z. Wang; G. Winnewisser; Y. F. Zhang

doi:10.1086/312857

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Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite Observations of the Martian Atmosphere: Temperature and Vertical Distribution of Water Vapor

M. A. Gurwell¹, E. A. Bergin¹, G. J. Melnick¹, M. L. N. Ashby¹, G. Chin², N. R. Erickson³, P. F. Goldsmith⁴, M. Harwit⁵, J. E. Howe³, S. C. Kleiner¹, D. G. Koch⁶, D. A. Neufeld⁷, B. M. Patten¹, R. Plume¹, R. Schieder⁸, R. L. Snell³, J. R. Stauffer¹, V. Tolls¹, Z. Wang¹, G. Winnewisser⁸, and Y. F. Zhang¹

Published 2000 August 16 • © 2000. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 539, Number 2 Citation M. A. Gurwell et al 2000 ApJ 539 L143 DOI 10.1086/312857

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Author affiliations

¹ Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138

² NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771

³ Department of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003

⁴ National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center, Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Space Sciences Building, Ithaca, NY 14853-6801

⁵ 511 H Street SW, Washington, DC 20024-2725; also Cornell University

⁶ NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035

⁷ Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218

⁸ I. Physikalisches Institut, Universität zu Köln, Zülpicher Strasse 77, D-50937 Köln, Germany

Dates

Received 1999 December 10
Accepted 2000 June 23
Published 2000 August 16

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Abstract

We report the first detections of absorption features in the submillimeter spectrum of Mars that are due to the H₂O (1₁₀-1₀₁) and ¹³CO (5-4) rotational transitions. Observations were obtained over several days near the planet's closest approach to Earth in 1999 April. These observations simultaneously provide us with an opportunity to derive the atmospheric temperature structure and to measure directly the distribution of water vapor with altitude. The Martian atmosphere is found to be relatively cool, consistent with results found from ground-based millimeter observations of CO. The distribution of water in the Martian atmosphere matches a profile of constant, 100% saturation from 10 to 45 km altitude.

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