Seasonal CO2 Cycle at the Martian Poles Revealed by Sounding Radar
Abstract Seasonal CO2 frost accumulates and ablates at the Martian poles during night and day, respectively. We report the first robust measurements of polar seasonal change in SHAllow RADar (SHARAD) data, based on calibration of the 16‐year data set. At each pole, radar surface echo power varies an...
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| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL116047 |
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| author | Erica R. Jawin Bruce A. Campbell Cyril Grima |
| author_facet | Erica R. Jawin Bruce A. Campbell Cyril Grima |
| author_sort | Erica R. Jawin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Seasonal CO2 frost accumulates and ablates at the Martian poles during night and day, respectively. We report the first robust measurements of polar seasonal change in SHAllow RADar (SHARAD) data, based on calibration of the 16‐year data set. At each pole, radar surface echo power varies annually by ∼3–4 dB (increase of 2–2.5 times in power) with a distinct temporal signal, where power decreases during the night and increases during daytime, although spatial heterogeneities exist. Power variations are restricted to the surface reflection. The timing and magnitude of radar power variations are largely consistent with the deposition and removal of CO2 frost, despite predicted seasonal frost layers being thinner than a SHARAD range cell. Radar power variations largely agree with previous analyses. This study represents the first documentation of the full seasonal CO2 frost cycle at both Martian poles using radar sounder data. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-58975fb924074cdcb13efe3ea432d250 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-58975fb924074cdcb13efe3ea432d2502025-08-20T03:31:52ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072025-07-015214n/an/a10.1029/2025GL116047Seasonal CO2 Cycle at the Martian Poles Revealed by Sounding RadarErica R. Jawin0Bruce A. Campbell1Cyril Grima2National Air and Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Washington DC USANational Air and Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Washington DC USAInstitute for Geophysics University of Texas Austin TX USAAbstract Seasonal CO2 frost accumulates and ablates at the Martian poles during night and day, respectively. We report the first robust measurements of polar seasonal change in SHAllow RADar (SHARAD) data, based on calibration of the 16‐year data set. At each pole, radar surface echo power varies annually by ∼3–4 dB (increase of 2–2.5 times in power) with a distinct temporal signal, where power decreases during the night and increases during daytime, although spatial heterogeneities exist. Power variations are restricted to the surface reflection. The timing and magnitude of radar power variations are largely consistent with the deposition and removal of CO2 frost, despite predicted seasonal frost layers being thinner than a SHARAD range cell. Radar power variations largely agree with previous analyses. This study represents the first documentation of the full seasonal CO2 frost cycle at both Martian poles using radar sounder data.https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL116047MarsradarMartian polesseasonal CO2 cycle |
| spellingShingle | Erica R. Jawin Bruce A. Campbell Cyril Grima Seasonal CO2 Cycle at the Martian Poles Revealed by Sounding Radar Geophysical Research Letters Mars radar Martian poles seasonal CO2 cycle |
| title | Seasonal CO2 Cycle at the Martian Poles Revealed by Sounding Radar |
| title_full | Seasonal CO2 Cycle at the Martian Poles Revealed by Sounding Radar |
| title_fullStr | Seasonal CO2 Cycle at the Martian Poles Revealed by Sounding Radar |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seasonal CO2 Cycle at the Martian Poles Revealed by Sounding Radar |
| title_short | Seasonal CO2 Cycle at the Martian Poles Revealed by Sounding Radar |
| title_sort | seasonal co2 cycle at the martian poles revealed by sounding radar |
| topic | Mars radar Martian poles seasonal CO2 cycle |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL116047 |
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