Abstract
Discrete white cloud systems have long been recognized as a martian atmospheric phenomenon. However, it was not until the Mariner 9 mission in 1971–72 that the cloud systems were found to be closely related to topographic features, in particular, the giant volcanoes on the Tharsis Ridge. Using the available Earth based observations, Smith and Smith1 investigated the seasonal and diurnal behaviour of the clouds the Olympus Mons and Elysium regions. They found that the cloud activity was generally confined to late spring and early summer seasons in the northern hemisphere. This corresponds to Ls=60–150°, where Ls is the aerocentric solar longitude and Ls = 0 for spring equinox in the northern hemisphere. The Viking Orbiters have observed martian atmospheric phenomena for eight seasons. During this period, the volcanoes have been frequently, but often irregularly, monitored. Unfortunately, the changes in the spacecraft orbit have meant corresponding variations in the surface resolution, viewing geometry and local times of the observations. However, the available observations do provide important new insights into the diurnal properties of the volcanic cloud systems, which we describe here.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Smith, S. A. & Smith, B. A. Icarus 16, 509–521 (1972).
Briggs, G. A., Baum, W. A. & Barnes, J. J. geophys. Res. 84, 2795–2820 (1979).
Farmer, C. B. & Doms, P. E. J. geophys. Res. 84, 2881–2898 (1979).
Martin, T. Z., Peterfreund, A. R., Miner, E. D., Kieffer, H. H. & Hunt, G. E. J. geophys. Res. 84, 2830–2842 (1979).
Martin, T. Z. & Kieffer, H. H. J. geophys. Res. 84, 2843–2852 (1979).
Briggs, G. A., Klaasen, K., Thorpe, T., Wellman, J. & Baum, W. J. geophys. Res. 82, 4121–4150 (1977).
Leovy, C. B. & Mintz, Y. J. atmos. Sci. 26, 1167–1190 (1969).
Pollack, J. B., Leovy, C. B., Mintz, Y. H. & Van Camp, W. Geophys. Res. Lett. 3, 479–482 (1979).
Hunt, G. E. J. geophys. Res. 84, 2865–2874 (1979).
Kieffer, H. H. et al. J. geophys. Res. 82, 4249–4291 (1977).
Hunt, G. E. Geophys. Res. Lett. (in the press).
Davis, D. W. J. geophys. Res. 84, 2875–2879 (1979).
Webster, P. J. Icarus 30, 626–649 (1977).
Lindal, G. et al. J. geophys. Res. 84, 8442–8457 (1979).
Farmer, C. B., Davies, D. W., Holland, A. L., La Porte, D. D. & Doms, P. E. J. geophys. Res. 82, 4225–4248 (1977).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hunt, G., Pickersgill, A., James, P. et al. Some diurnal properties of clouds over the martian volcanoes. Nature 286, 362–364 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1038/286362a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/286362a0
This article is cited by
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.