In search of trace gas species in the Martian atmosphere: Unravelling Mars’ past and present

Seminar Abstract:

The identification of trace gas species using the solar and stellar occultation techniques can tell us much about hidden processes in the Martian atmosphere and surface, be it the possible presence of life, volcanism or other geological and meteorological processes as yet unknown to science. In the first part of the talk, we present a number of results from the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter/ACS instrument in order to a) search for the possible presence of sulphur species that would indicate volcanic activity on Mars and b) to constrain vertical variations in the deuterium to hydrogen ratio, a tracer of historical water escape from the Martian atmosphere. We discuss how the use of supervised and unsupervised machine learning techniques can complement the use of traditional spectral retrieval techniques in the search for new trace species in the Martian atmosphere. In the final part of the talk, we use UV solar and stellar occultation observations from the MAVEN/IUVS instrument to search for longitudinal variations in ozone, a tracer of Martian weather and photochemistry, and discuss further paths for collaboration.

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This is a hybrid event.

If you’re interested in attending virtually, please contact Jem Averyt to be added to the mailing list: Jem.Averyt@lasp.colorado.edu