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Revealing a High Water Abundance in the Upper Mesosphere of Mars with ACS onboard TGO
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  • Denis A. Belyaev,
  • Anna A. Fedorova,
  • Alexander Trokhimovskiy,
  • Juan Alday Parejo,
  • Franck Montmessin,
  • Oleg I Korablev,
  • Franck Lefèvre,
  • Andrey Patrakeev,
  • Kevin S. Olsen,
  • Alexey V. Shakun
Denis A. Belyaev
Space Research Institute (IKI), Space Research Institute (IKI)

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Anna A. Fedorova
Space Research Institute, Space Research Institute
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Alexander Trokhimovskiy
Space Research Institute (IKI), Space Research Institute (IKI)
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Juan Alday Parejo
University of Oxford, University of Oxford
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Franck Montmessin
LATMOS CNRS/UVSQ/IPSL, LATMOS CNRS/UVSQ/IPSL
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Oleg I Korablev
Space Research Institute (IKI), Space Research Institute (IKI)
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Franck Lefèvre
LATMOS, LATMOS
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Andrey Patrakeev
Space Research Institute, Space Research Institute
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Kevin S. Olsen
University of Oxford, University of Oxford
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Alexey V. Shakun
Space Research Institute (IKI), Space Research Institute (IKI)
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Abstract

We present the first water vapor profiles encompassing the upper mesosphere of Mars, 100–120 km, far exceeding the maximum altitudes where remote sensing has been able to observe water to date. Our results are based on solar occultation measurements by Atmospheric Chemistry Suite (ACS) onboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO). The wavelength range observed (~2.7 μm) possesses strong CO2 and H2O absorption lines allowing sensitive temperature and density retrievals. We report the maximum H2O mixing ratio varying from 10 to 50 ppmv at 100–120 km during the global dust storm of MY34 and around southern summer solstice of Martian Years (MY) 34 and 35. During other seasons water remains below 2-3 ppmv. The high values above 100 km establish a bridge between the regular water enrichment observed below (60-100 km) and the atomic hydrogen escaping from the exosphere.
28 May 2021Published in Geophysical Research Letters volume 48 issue 10. 10.1029/2021GL093411