01-028

Planetary Atmospheres

Cover Page/Proposal Summary

ROSS-00    NRA 00-OSS-01

Date Due: 4/28/2000

NASA PROCEDURE FOR HANDLING PROPOSALS

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Proposal Type: New Proposal

Proposal Category: Dynamics

Major Equipment Proposal? No

Do you intend to submit an Education/Public Outreach (E/PO) proposal? No

Proposal Title:
Water-Dust Coupling and Radiative-Dynamic Feedbacks in the Martian Atmosphere

Abbreviated Proposal Title:
Water-Dust Coupling in the Martian Atmosphere

Principal Investigator:
Dr. Howard Houben
Space Physics Research Institute MS 245-3
NASA Ames Research Center
Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000
Phone: 650-604-3381   Fax: 650-604-6779   E-mail: houben@humbabe.arc.nasa.gov

SignatureDate
_________________________________________________

Co-Investigators and Collaborators:
Type    Name    Affiliation    E-mail
Sci Collab   Dr. Eric Jensen   NASA-Ames Research Center   ejensen@sky.arc.nasa.gov


Proposal Summary:

There is a growing consensus as to details of the Martian annual water cycle based on full three- dimensional modeling of the planet's meteorology. The atmospheric transport is dominated by the cross-equatorial Hadley cell that moves more than a Gigaton of water per season from the summer hemisphere far into the winter hemisphere where it must snow out. Thus, high relative humidities, clouds, and precipitation are important features of Martian meteorology. (The widespread existence of water ice clouds has been increasingly recognized in data from Mars Global Surveyor and re-analyzed Viking observations.) As there is always more water (by mass) than dust in the Martian atmosphere, the water transport and precipitation cycle must control the atmospheric transport of dust over the long term. On the other hand, dust heating seems to be the dominant parameter that modulates the strength of the Hadley cell. The interaction between these two atmospheric tracers in terms of radiative-dynamic feedbacks is therefore a key to the Martian climate system. It is proposed that models that have been developed and used successfully in the study of the radiative, dynamical, and physical evolution of aerosols in the Earth's stratosphere be applied to the modeling of this intriguing problem.



Certification of Compliance with Applicable Executive Orders and U.S. Code


By submitting the proposal identified in this Cover Sheet/Proposal Summary in response to this NRA or AO, the Authorizing Official of the proposing institution (or the individual proposer if there is no proposing institution) as identified below:

  • certifies that the statements made in this proposal are true and complete to the best of his/her knowledge;
  • agrees to accept the obligations to comply with NASA award terms and conditions if an award is made as a result of this proposal; and
  • confirms compliance with all provisions, rules, and stipulations set forth in the three Certifications contained in this NRA [namely, (i) Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters Primary Cover Transactions, (ii) Certification Regarding Lobbying, and (iii) Certification of Compliance with the NASA Regulations Pursuant to Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs].
    Willful provision of false information in this proposal and/or its supporting documents, or in reports required under an ensuing award, is a criminal offense (U.S. Code, Title 18, Section 1001).