12 YEARS OF ATMOSPHERIC MONITORING BY THE PLANETARY FOURIER SPECTROMETER ONBOARD MARS EXPRESS

We used thermal-infrared spectra returned by the Mars Express Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFSMEx) to retrieve atmospheric temperature profiles, surface temperatures, and column-integrated optical depths of dust and water ice. More than 2,500,000 spectra have been used to build this new dataset, covering the full range of season, latitude, longitude, and local time. The data presented here span more than six Martian years (from MY26, Ls = 331°, 10 January 2004 to MY 33, Ls = 78°, 6 December 2015). By exploiting PFS/MEx capability to perform observations at different local times (LT), this dataset allows investigation of the daily cycles of suspended dust and ice. We present an overview of the seasonal and latitudinal dependence of atmospheric quantities during the relevant period, as well as an assessment of the interannual variability in the current Martian climate. Daily variations of Martian aerosols are also presented, including dust during the global dust storm of MY 28, and water ice in the aphelion cloud belt. Atmospheric temperatures and aerosols opacity are successfully retrieved in the polar regions, including the polar nights. Effects of suspended dust on atmospheric temperatures is also investigated.