Japan Geoscience Union Meeting 2019

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[E] Oral

P (Space and Planetary Sciences ) » P-PS Planetary Sciences

[P-PS04] Mars and Mars system: results from a broad spectrum of Mars studies and aspects for future missions

Sun. May 26, 2019 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM A02 (TOKYO BAY MAKUHARI HALL)

convener:Hideaki Miyamoto(University of Tokyo), Tomohiro Usui(Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology), Ayako Matsuoka(Research Division for Space Plasma, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Sushil K Atreya(University of Michigan Ann Arbor), Chairperson:Sushil Atreya

9:15 AM - 9:30 AM

[PPS04-02] From Clouds to Aurora to Atmospheric Escape: Highlights from MAVEN’s Imaging UltraViolet Spectrograph

★Invited Papers

*Nicholas McCord Schneider1, MAVEN/IUVS Science Team (1.LASP, University of Colorado Boulder)

Keywords:mars, atmosphere, ultraviolet, aurora, escape, clouds

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission’s Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) observes Mars in the far and mid ultraviolet (110-340 nm), investigating lower and upper atmospheric structure and indirectly probing neutral atmospheric escape. The instrument is among the most powerful spectrographs sent to another planet, with several key capabilities: separate Far-UV & Mid-UV channels for stray light control; a high-resolution echelle mode to resolve deuterium and hydrogen emission; internal instrument pointing and scanning capabilities to allow complete mapping and nearly continuous operation; and optimization for airglow studies. After four Earth years in orbit (two Mars years), IUVS has assembled a large quantity of data and provided insights on present-day processes at Mars including dayglow, nightglow, aurora, meteor showers, clouds, and solar-planetary interactions. In this presentation, we will highlight key results obtained by IUVS, including: (1) dust storm and cloud activity from a synoptic perspective; (2) a surprisingly high level of auroral activity of three types; (3) long-term tracking of seasonally-modulated escape of hydrogen. We will present an overview of these results and a discussion of their implications for understanding Mars atmospheric dynamics and evolution.