ESA Trace Gas Orbiter Archives

Comparison of Mars before (left) and during (right) the June 2018 dust storm, which coincided with the solar energetic particle event examined by the Lancaster University team. Images taken by the Mars Color Imager (MARCI), a wide-angle camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), that maps daily weather conditions across the planet. Large image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

First Study Hints Solar Storms May Alter The Weather During Martian Dust Storms

by Keith CowingJuly 22, 2026July 22, 2026

[Royal Astronomical Society] Solar storms may affect weather on Mars when they strike at the same time as major Martian dust storms, a new study has suggested for the first […]

The vertical profiles of water ice clouds derived from ACS-MIR measurements used in this study, as a function of the latitude of the observation. Observations without water ice detections are in gray. -- astro-ph.EP

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Habitable Zones, Mars, Status Report

On The Impact of the Vertical Structure of Martian Water Ice Clouds on Nadir Atmospheric Retrievals from Simultaneous EMM/EXI and TGO/ACS-MIR Observations

by Keith CowingApril 24, 2024April 24, 2024

Retrieving the optical depth of the Martian clouds (τcld) is a powerful way to monitor their spatial and temporal evolution. However, such retrievals from nadir imagery rely on several assumptions, […]