Modeling and Observations of Martian Stationary Waves

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Abstract
A linear σ-coordinate model is used in conjunction with a Mars GCM northern hemisphere winter zonal mean circulation to study the orographically forced stationary disturbances on Mars. The disturbances are compared to their counterparts on Earth and to the bright streak data from the Mariner 9 and Viking images. Diabatic heating on Mars is predominantly radiative, and inversion near the surface causes mountains to cool and depressions to heat the atmosphere. Due to the short radiative timescales and large meridional surface pressure gradient, the atmosphere responds to radiative forcing by changing its temperature and pressure gradient. The strong meridional flow near the equator and short radiative timescales combine to make responses to mechanical and thermal forcing of the same order in the tropics and in parts of the northern midlatitudes. In the subtropics, small zonal and meridional flows allow the response to radiative forcing to dominate. All these factors contribute to making the Martian... Abstract A linear σ-coordinate model is used in conjunction with a Mars GCM northern hemisphere winter zonal mean circulation to study the orographically forced stationary disturbances on Mars. The disturbances are compared to their counterparts on Earth and to the bright streak data from the Mariner 9 and Viking images. Diabatic heating on Mars is predominantly radiative, and inversion near the surface causes mountains to cool and depressions to heat the atmosphere. Due to the short radiative timescales and large meridional surface pressure gradient, the atmosphere responds to radiative forcing by changing its temperature and pressure gradient. The strong meridional flow near the equator and short radiative timescales combine to make responses to mechanical and thermal forcing of the same order in the tropics and in parts of the northern midlatitudes. In the subtropics, small zonal and meridional flows allow the response to radiative forcing to dominate. All these factors contribute to making the Martian...

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