Study of the hydrogen escape rate at Mars during Martian years 28 and 29 from comparisons between SPICAM/Mars Express observations and GCM-LMD simulations

Abstract

International audienceWe simulate the 3D Martian hydrogen corona during the Martian years 28 and 29 at different solar longitudes using a set of models of atomic hydrogen density from the surface to the exosphere. These simulations are compared to Mars Express / SPICAM observations and show a strong underestimate of the brightness by our models near southern summer that could be due to an underestimate of the amount of water vapor delivered to the upper atmosphere at this season