Martian circulation during global dust storms

Determine how global dust-storm heating modifies the vertical structure of atmospheric circulation on Mars at different altitudes.

Background

The paper states that Martian atmospheric circulation under relatively quiescent conditions is reasonably well characterized, but its response to global dust storms remains unresolved. Global dust storms can alter atmospheric temperatures by several tens of kelvin and substantially reorganize circulation, while dust opacity limits visible and infrared observations. Vertically resolved submillimeter observations are proposed to determine how dust-induced heating changes circulation with altitude.

References

During these events, atmospheric temperatures can change by several tens of kelvin and the global circulation can be substantially reorganized.

— ALMA2040: Submillimeter-wave Limb Sounding of Venus and Mars  (2610.22233 - Sagawa et al., 15 Oct 2026) in Section 3, subsection “Characterizing Atmospheric Circulation in the Middle Atmosphere,” Mars bullet