During a Martian dust storm, the lower atmosphere is heated locally. Due to dynamical effects, the upper atmosphere and ionosphere can be lifted upward on a global scale by approximately 10 km. The connections between lower atmospheric dust events and associated ionospheric responses are poorly understood due to limited observations. Here, we present MAVEN Radio Occultation Science Experiment (ROSE) observations of ionospheric peak altitude during dust events in 2018 and 2016. In June 2018, a planet-encircling dust event arose from the Acidalia storm track in the northern hemisphere. Ionospheric peak altitudes at around 20 • S were normal in ROSE egress observations on 19 June and 22 June and then 10-15 km higher on 26 June and thereafter. Ionospheric peak altitudes at around 50 • N were also elevated in ROSE ingress observations, which began on 17 June. This suggests that the ionospheric peak altitude was affected by the dust event in the northern hemisphere before the southern hemisphere. We also observe evidence that smaller dust storms can trigger ionospheric responses: In July-October 2016, ionospheric peak altitudes at solar zenith angles of 54-70 • and latitudes of 50-80 • S were 20 km higher than expected. These observations were acquired during a modest "A storm" during a year without a global dust storm.
Measuring the depth of Jupiter’s storms
The atmosphere of Jupiter consists of bands of winds rotating at different rates, punctuated by giant storms. The largest storm is the Great Red Spot (GRS), which has persisted for more than a century. It has been unclear whether the storms are confined to a thin layer near the top of the atmosphere or if they extend deep into the planet. Bolton
et al
. used microwave observations from the Juno spacecraft to observe several storms and vortices. They found that the storms extended below the depths at which water and ammonia are expected to condense, implying a connection with the deep atmosphere. Parisi
et al
. analyzed gravity measurements taken while Juno flew over the GRS. They detected a perturbation in the planet’s gravitational field caused by the storm, finding that it was no more than 500 kilometers deep. In combination, these results constrain how Jupiter’s meteorology links to its deep interior. —KTS
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