UW: Mars Meteorology

J. E. Tillman

Data and information about Mars meteorology are described below and in the Viking Computer Facility's referenced links. Some are appropriate for developing K-12 science and engineering exercises or complete modules, while others may only include brief descriptions making them most useful to Mars scientists and mission planners. We encourage your use them, and share your results with us. They may be used in any publication without prior written request under the conditions specified in their copyright statement. Please credit and reference those who have developed or contributed the materials as outlined in the Copyright statement. If these pressure resources are used, please provide a copy of the publication or report to James Tillman, and notify us of their use so we can reference them in our bibliography and links.

• Mars meteorology

  Atmospheric Pressure

  The Viking Lander atmospheric pressure records provide a good overview of the climate of Mars. These first observations from the Surface of Mars, which can not not be equaled in length until well into the first decade of the 21st century, provide insight into phenomena whose sizes range from local, to synoptic to the global, "great" dust storms. Lander 1 lasted 3.3 Mars years, i.e., more than 6 Earth years, from July 1976 through November, 1982. At times, these storms cover Mars with a dust layer so deep that the top of the Olympus Mons volcano, 29 kilometers above the mean Mars surface, is almost completely obscured. These great dust storms are clearly evident in the pressure plots. Presently, Nov 1996, the pressure record is annotated for scientific applications rather than a more general perspective.

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  J E Tillman: