Publication Date:
2019-01-25
Description:
Given the fact that martian orography varies over a range of two scale heights (cf., about one scale height on Earth), it is thought that on Mars some aspects of the circulation should be affected to a large degree by the presence of orography. Initial results from two numerical models are presented that illustrate the effect of orography on cross-equatorial transport on Mars. On Earth, western boundary currents are found not only in the oceans as one would expect, but also in the troposphere, the most notable example being the East African Jet, which has an important effect on the monsoon circulation of the Eastern Indian Ocean. Two models were used for this investigation: a simple GCM (hereafter referred to as the SGCM); and a simple one-level barotropic model (BM). The SGCM solves the hydrostatic primitive equations on a sphere by representing model variables by spherical harmonics in the horizontal, with nonlinear terms being calculated in grid-point space. In the vertical, the model uses the sigma coordinate system in finite-difference form. The model represents the radiative processes in the atmosphere by a Newtonian relaxation to a specified zonal mean temperature state and surface drag by Rayleigh friction in the lowest model level.
Keywords:
LUNAR AND PLANETARY EXPLORATION
Type:
Lunar and Planetary Inst., Workshop on Atmospheric Transport on Mars; p 18
Format:
text
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