Correlating The Seasonal Behavior Of Polar Warming
And O2 Ir Nightglow
A. S. Brecht (Amanda.S.Brecht@Nasa.Gov), Nasa Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Ca, Usa, L.
Gkouvelis, Nasa Postdoctoral Program, Nasa Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Ca, Usa, R. J. Wilson,
C. E. Harman, M. A. Kahre, Nasa Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Ca, Usa, A. Kling, Bay Area Environmental Research Institute, Moffett Field, Ca, Usa.

Introduction:
Mars’ Meridional Circulation Impacts The Climate
Through The Transport Of Heat, Water, Dust, And Trace
Gases. The Meridional Circulation In The Middle Atmosphere Is Instrumental In The Exchange Of Water
Between Hemispheres And The Expansion Phase Of
Large Regional- And Global-Scale Dust Storms. The
Overall Nature And Structure Of The Mean Meridional
Circulation (I.E., The Hadley Cell) In The Martian Atmosphere Has Been Widely Studied But The Detailed
Behavior Is Still Being Investigated. To Provide A
More Detailed Examination Of The Meridional Circulation, Two Features Driven By The Mean Circulation Will
Be Analyzed As Proxies. The First Feature Is Polar
Warming (Pw), Which Is Dynamically Induced Due To
The Compressional Heating Of Air In The Descending
Branch Of The Hadley Cell. The Second Feature Is O2