Martian Aerosols in the 3µm Spectral Range, During and Outside the 2018 Global Dust Event Based on the TGO/ACS-MIR Channel

Abstract

International audienceWe present vertical profiles of water ice clouds in the Martian atmosphere, and the effects of the last global dust storm on them. To this end, we used the data produced by the ACS MIR channel during solar occultations that senses the atmospheric opacity in the 3 μm spectral range. We observe very rapidchanges in the aerosol profile associated with the onset of the global dust event, initiating water ice cloud layer formation above 80 km in a period of days or so, sug- gesting a sudden intensification in the circulation re- gime. More work is needed to extract more infor- mation, such as particle size, yet this preliminary study already provides some insightful data about water ice during the 2018 global dust storm