Presentation Information
[PPS07-P06]Global Survey of Cloud Trains Associated with Martian Mountain Lee Wave: Seasonal and Regional Characteristics
*Chikai Takatsuka1, Rena Honda1, Yuta Maeda1, Arisa Inui1, Kazunori Ogohara1 (1.Kyoto Sangyo University)
Keywords:
Mars,water ice cloud,mountain lee wave
Ogohara and Ro (2023) investigated mountain-induced cloud trains only on the eastern side of Phlegra Montes, leaving the global distribution of Martian wavy clouds insufficiently explored. To address this, we conducted a global survey using Mars Daily Global Weather Maps (MDGM) version 2 (Wang 2023) spanning six to seven Martian years and visually extracted a total of 23,969 cloud trains. For each cloud, endpoint coordinates were recorded, converted into latitude and longitude, and analyzed to clarify seasonal and regional characteristics.
The detected clouds exhibited clear seasonal and latitudinal patterns: 11,229 occurred during the northern summer and 12,740 during the northern winter. A total of 20,580 clouds were found in the midlatitudes and 1,282 in the low latitudes. Cloud trains were not only observed on the eastern side of Phlegra Montes but also on the western side of Elysium Mons and northeast of Tharsis Montes. Numerous cloud trains were found clustered on the eastern sides of major craters in the northern hemisphere.
The seasonal wind environment played a significant role. In the northern mid-to high-latitude regions, cloud trains formed predominantly during the northern winter under strong westerly winds. In contrast, they appeared in low latitudes during the northern summer when the easterly winds were strong. This indicates the same phenomenon occurring in the opposite direction as in the northern mid-latitudes. A distinct spatial pattern was also found in the southern mid-latitudes, where wave clouds tended to avoid Argyre Planitia and Hellas Basin. Future analyses will include composite means to further examine temperature and wind-speed distributions by region and season.
The detected clouds exhibited clear seasonal and latitudinal patterns: 11,229 occurred during the northern summer and 12,740 during the northern winter. A total of 20,580 clouds were found in the midlatitudes and 1,282 in the low latitudes. Cloud trains were not only observed on the eastern side of Phlegra Montes but also on the western side of Elysium Mons and northeast of Tharsis Montes. Numerous cloud trains were found clustered on the eastern sides of major craters in the northern hemisphere.
The seasonal wind environment played a significant role. In the northern mid-to high-latitude regions, cloud trains formed predominantly during the northern winter under strong westerly winds. In contrast, they appeared in low latitudes during the northern summer when the easterly winds were strong. This indicates the same phenomenon occurring in the opposite direction as in the northern mid-latitudes. A distinct spatial pattern was also found in the southern mid-latitudes, where wave clouds tended to avoid Argyre Planitia and Hellas Basin. Future analyses will include composite means to further examine temperature and wind-speed distributions by region and season.