Diurnal Variations In The Martian Atmosphere From
Enhanced Maven/Iuvs Stellar Occultation Dataset
S. Gupta, N. M. Schneider, S. K. Jain, J. Deighan, Laboratory For Atmospheric And Space Physics, University
Of Colorado, Boulder, Co, Usa, (Sumedha.Gupta@Lasp.Colorado.Edu), R. V. Yelle, F. Jiang, Lunar And Planetary Laboratory Science, University Of Arizona, Tucson, Az, Usa, L. Verdier, A. S. Braude, F. Montmessin,
Latmos, Cnrs/Uvsq Université Paris-Saclay/Upmc, Guyancourt, France

Introduction: Over The Last Five Decades, Diverse
Observations And Theoretical Models Have Provided A
Comprehensive Account Of Thermal Structure And Composition For Different Regions Of The Martian Atmosphere. Nonetheless, There Are Still Gaps In Our Interpretation When It Comes To The Study Of Day/Night Differences For The Martian Upper Mesosphere To Lower Thermosphere, A Region That Is Critical In Understanding Atmospheric Loss, Coupling Processes, Global Circulation
Patterns, Energy Balances, Along With The Influences Of
H2o, Co2, And Dust Cycles Prevalent On Mars. Part Of
This Region Is Explored By A Few Martian Missions,
E.G., Spicam Onboard Mars Express Observed The
Nighttime Temperature And Density Profiles In The Altitude Range 70-130 Km (Montmessin Et Al., 2017),
Ngims On Maven During Its Deep Dip Campaigns
Can Retrieve In-Situ Density And Temperatures For Different Local Solar Times, But Altitudes From ~125 Km
(Stone Et Al., 2018), While Acs Onboard Tgo Probes
The Lower Mesosphere, Resolving The Diurnal Cycle
Over A 54-Sol Period (Guerlet Et Al., 2022).
Stellar Occultations, One Of The Observation Modes