High-Order harmonics of Thermal Tides observed in the atmosphere of Mars by the Pressure Sensor on the Insight lander

TL;DR

This study analyzes high-order thermal tide harmonics in Mars' atmosphere using precise pressure data from the InSight lander, revealing harmonics beyond previous reports and their seasonal and dust-related variations.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of high-order thermal tide harmonics beyond the 24th harmonic on Mars using high-precision data.

Findings

Harmonics beyond the 24th are observed, exceeding previous reports.

Seasonal and dust events influence the characteristics of tidal harmonics.

High-order small-amplitude harmonics can interfere constructively, affecting meteorological patterns.

Abstract

Thermal tides are atmospheric planetary-scale waves with periods that are harmonics of the solar day. In the Martian atmosphere thermal tides are known to be especially significant compared to any other known planet. Based on the data set of pressure timeseries produced by the InSight lander, which is unprecedented in terms of accuracy and temporal coverage, we investigate thermal tides on Mars and we find harmonics even beyond the number 24, which exceeds significantly the number of harmonics previously reported by other works. We explore comparatively the characteristics and seasonal evolution of tidal harmonics and find that even and odd harmonics exhibit some clearly differentiated trends that evolve seasonally and respond to dust events. High-order tidal harmonics with small amplitudes could transiently interfere constructively to produce meteorologically relevant patterns.