Mars

Seasonal and Diurnal Variability of Atmospheric Pressure in Jezero Crater, Mars, from MEDA Measurements on the Perseverance Rover

By Keith Cowing
Status Report
astro-ph.EP
November 14, 2025
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Seasonal and Diurnal Variability of Atmospheric Pressure in Jezero Crater, Mars, from MEDA Measurements on the Perseverance Rover
Climatology of diurnal pressure variation (dP/dt) in units of Pa h⁻¹. High-frequency signals (with periods shorter than 3,700 s) were removed from the original time series prior to differentiation. Sunrise and sunset are indicated by white curves around 06:00 and 18:00 LT (local true solar time). The global dust content, calculated from the climatologies of Montabone et al. (2015; 2020), is displayed in the lower panel, where individual dust events are also identified. Seasons are delimited by vertical lines, and solstices are shaded in pale yellow in the lower panel (dust). Figure adapted from Hernández et al. (2024). — astro-ph.EP

We present an analysis of atmospheric pressure variability inside Jezero Crater on Mars based on measurements from the MEDA meteorological station aboard NASA’s Perseverance rover.

Pressure data from Sols 182, 361, 504, and 658 reveal seasonal and diurnal fluctuations linked to solar insolation, CO2 condensation and sublimation cycles, and local geomorphology.

During Sol 504, an unexpected pressure increase was recorded despite coinciding with the onset of northern winter, suggesting the influence of perihelion and dust-related thermal tides. Statistical parameters such as mean, standard deviation, and amplitude show that Jezero exhibits larger diurnal pressure swings than Gale Crater, mainly due to its lower latitude and topographic confinement.

These results demonstrate the strong coupling between Martian atmospheric dynamics, orbital configuration, and local topography, and illustrate the value of MEDA data for characterizing short-term and seasonal variations in the Martian boundary layer.

Julio Carlos Bertua Marasca, Homer Davila Gutierrez, Josue Ismael Mosquera Hadatty

Comments: 11 pages, 7 figures, 1 table. Independent study based on public MEDA data from NASA’s Planetary Data System (PDS) processed in Python. Not peer-reviewed
Subjects: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)
Cite as: arXiv:2511.09743 [astro-ph.EP] (or arXiv:2511.09743v1 [astro-ph.EP] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2511.09743
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Submission history
From: Homer Davila Gutierrez
[v1] Wed, 12 Nov 2025 21:20:21 UTC (537 KB)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.09743

Astrobiology,

Keith Cowing

Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA Space Station Payload manager/space biologist, Away Teams, Journalist, Lapsed climber, Synaesthete, Na’Vi-Jedi-Freman-Buddhist-mix, ASL, Devon Island and Everest Base Camp veteran, (he/him) 🖖🏻

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