Natural Convection as a Heat Engine: A Theory for CAPE

In this study we look at planetary convection from a large-scale perspective, that is, in statistical equilibrium. We focus on the physical process by which convection adjusts unstable atmospheres. Our hypothesis is that atmospheric convection is a natural heat engine. Our objective is to present a framework usefull for the basic conceptual understanding of the equilibrium state of convecting atmospheres

Experimental evidence for the formation of liquid saline water on Mars

Evidence for deliquescence of perchlorate salts has been discovered in the Martian polar region while possible brine flows have been observed in the equatorial region. This appears to contradict the idea that bulk deliquescence is too slow to occur during the short periods of the Martian diurnal cycle during which conditions are favorable for it. We conduct laboratory experiments to study the formation of liquid brines at Mars environmental conditions. We find that when water vapor is the only source of water, bulk deliquescence of perchlorates is not rapid enough to occur during the short periods of the day during which the temperature is above the salts' eutectic value, and the humidity is above the salts' deliquescence value. However, when the salts are in contact with water ice, liquid brine forms in minutes, indicating that aqueous solutions could form temporarily where salts and ice coexist on the Martian surface and in the shallow subsurface. Key Points The formation of brines at Martian conditions was studied experimentally Bulk deliquescence from water vapor is too slow to occur diurnally on Mars Brines form in minutes when salts are placed in direct contact with icePeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/108051/1/grl51829.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/108051/2/2014GL060302_AuxiliaryMaterialreadme.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/108051/3/ts01.pd

Dust devils as observed by Mars Pathfinder

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/94814/1/jgre1409.pd

Thermodynamic efficiencies of an idealized global climate model

We employ the heat engine framework to derive a simple method for assessing the strength of irreversible processes in global climate models (GCMs). Using the explicit energy budget of an idealized GCM, we show that the thermodynamic efficiencies based on the net heating rate and frictional work rate provides a measure of physical and numerical irreversibilities present in either open (e.g., the Hadley circulation) or closed (e.g., the general circulation) circulations. In addition, we show that the Carnot efficiency is useful for assessing the maximum possible efficiency attained by closed circulations. Comparison of the work-based efficiency with that based on the net heating rate and the Carnot efficiency provides a gauge of how close to reversible and ideal the circulations are. A series of experiments with the idealized GCM demonstrate the usefulness of our method and show the sensitivity of an essentially reversible model to changes in physical and numerical parameters such as rotation period and resolution.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47143/1/382_2005_Article_71.pd

Possible physical and thermodynamical evidence for liquid water at the Phoenix landing site

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/95444/1/jgre2665.pd

Habitability of the Phoenix landing site

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/95488/1/jgre2706.pd

Complex Brines and Their Implications for Habitability

There is evidence that life on Earth originated in cold saline waters around scorching hydrothermal vents, and that similar conditions might exist or have existed on Mars, Europa, Ganymede, Enceladus, and other worlds. Could potentially habitable complex brines with extremely low freezing temperatures exist in the shallow subsurface of these frigid worlds? Earth, Mars, and carbonaceous chondrites have similar bulk elemental abundances, but while the Earth is depleted in the most volatile elements, the Icy Worlds of the outer solar system are expected to be rich in them. The cooling of ionic solutions containing substances that likely exist in the Icy Worlds could form complex brines with the lowest eutectic temperature possible for the compounds available in them. Indeed, here, we show observational and theoretical evidence that even elements present in trace amounts in nature are concentrated by freeze–thaw cycles, and therefore contribute significantly to the formation of brine reservoirs that remain liquid throughout the year in some of the coldest places on Earth. This is interesting because the eutectic temperature of water–ammonia solutions can be as low as ~160 K, and significant fractions of the mass of the Icy Worlds are estimated to be water substance and ammonia. Thus, briny solutions with eutectic temperature of at least ~160 K could have formed where, historically, temperature have oscillated above and below ~160 K. We conclude that complex brines must exist in the shallow subsurface of Mars and the Icy Worlds, and that liquid saline water should be present where ice has existed, the temperature is above ~160 K, and evaporation and sublimation have been inhibited

In Situ UV Measurements by MSL/REMS: Dust Deposition and Angular Response Corrections

Measurements by the REMS/UV sensor onboard the MSL Curiosity rover constitute the first in situ dataset of UV radiation flux at the surface of Mars. Due to its position on the Curiosity deck, the UV sensor has been directly exposed to dust deposition. Inaccuracies in the original angular response calibration functions have led to discrepancies between measured and physically-expected UV fluxes when the solar zenith angle (θ) relative to the rover frame is between 20 and 55 . Here we present a methodology to correct UV fluxes when θ 30 , relative differences are greater than 100%. Measurements acquired when 20 < θ< 55 represent ∼45% of the whole dataset with θ< 90 . UV fluxes generated in this study are available in the NASA Planetary Data System (https://atmos.nmsu.edu/PDS/data/mslrem_1001/DATA_UV_CORRECTED/), and are important to study the effect of UV radiation on the variability of atmospheric constituents, to recreate accurate UV doses for biological laboratory experiments, to perform combined analyses of satellite and ground-based measurements, and to allow comparisons of the UV radiation environment at different locations with the upcoming ExoMars 2020 and Mars 2020 missions.With funding from the Spanish government through the "María de Maeztu Unit of Excellence" accreditation (MDM-2017-0737