The Atmosphere and Climate of Mars (Cambridge Planetary Science, Series Number 18)

Humanity has long been fascinated by the planet Mars. Was its climate ever conducive to life? What is the atmosphere like today and why did it change so dramatically over time? Eleven spacecraft have successfully flown to Mars since the Viking mission of the 1970s and early 1980s. These orbiters, landers and rovers have generated vast amounts of data that now span a Martian decade (roughly eighteen years). This new volume brings together the many new ideas about the atmosphere and climate system that have emerged, including the complex interplay of the volatile and dust cycles, the atmosphere-surface interactions that connect them over time, and the diversity of the planet's environment and its complex history. Including tutorials and explanations of complicated ideas, students, researchers and non-specialists alike are able to use this resource to gain a thorough and up-to-date understanding of this most Earth-like of planetary neighbours. Humanity has long been fascinated by the planet Mars. Was its climate ever conducive to life? What is the atmosphere like today, and why did it change so dramatically over time? Twelve spacecraft have successfully flown to Mars since the Viking mission of the 1970s and early 1980s. These orbiters, landers, and rovers have generated vast amounts of data that now span a Martian decade (~18 years). This new volume brings together the many new ideas about the atmosphere and climate system that have emerged, including the complex interplay of the volatile and dust cycles, the atmosphere-surface interactions that connect them over time, and the diversity of the planet's environment and its complex history. Including tutorials and explanations of complicated ideas, students, researchers, and non-specialists alike are able to use this resource to gain a thorough and up-to-date understanding of this most Earth-like of planetary neighbors. -- cubierta trasera Humanity has long been fascinated by the planet Mars. Was its climate ever conducive to life? What is the atmosphere like today, and why did it change so dramatically over time? Twelve spacecraft have successfully flown to Mars since the Viking mission of the 1970s and early 1980s. These orbiters, landers, and rovers have generated vast amounts of data that now span a Martian decade (~18 years). This new volume brings together the many new ideas about the atmosphere and climate system that have emerged, including the complex interplay of the volatile and dust cycles, the atmosphere-surface interactions that connect them over time, and the diversity of the planet's environment and its complex history. Including tutorials and explanations of complicated ideas, students, researchers, and non-specialists alike are able to use this resource to gain a thorough and up-to-date understanding of this most Earth-like of planetary neighbors. -- from back cover Contents List of Contributors General Acknowledgments 1 Introduction 2 Understanding Mars and Its Atmosphere 3 History of Mars Atmosphere Observations 4 Thermal Structure and Composition 5 Mars Clouds 6 Radiative Process: Techniques and Applications 7 The Martian Planetary Boundary Layer 8 Mesoscale Meteorology 9 The Global Circulation 10 The Mars Dust Cycle 11 The Water Cycle 12 The CO2 Cycle 13 Atmospheric Photochemistry 14 Upper Neutral Atmosphere and Ionosphere 15 Solar Wind Interaction and Atmospheric Escape 16 Recent Climate Variations 17 The Early Mars Climate System 18 Future Prospects Index [edited By] Robert M. Haberle, Nasa-ames Research Center, R. Todd Clancy, Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colorado, François Forget, Laboratoire De Météorologie Dynamique, Paris, Michael D. Smith, Nasa-goddard Space Flight Center, Richard W. Zurek, Nasa-jet Propulsion Laboratory, California. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Humanity has long been fascinated by the planet Mars. What is the atmosphere like today and why did it change so dramatically over time? In this book students, researchers and non-specialists alike are guided through a detailed description of the atmosphere and climate of this most Earth-like of planetary neighbours. This volume reviews all aspects of Mars atmospheric science from the surface to space, and from now and into the past