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https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-718
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-718
11 Aug 2022
 | 11 Aug 2022

A modern-day Mars climate in the Met Office Unified Model: dry simulations

Danny McCulloch, Denis Sergeev, Nathan Mayne, Matthew Bate, James Manners, Ian Boutle, Benjamin Drummond, and Kristzian Kohary

Abstract. We present results from the Met Office Unified Model (UM), a world-leading climate and weather model, adapted to simulate a dry Martian climate. We detail the adaptation of the basic parameterisations and analyse results from two simulations, one with radiatively active mineral dust, and one with radiatively inactive dust. These simulations demonstrate how the radiative effects of dust act to accelerate the winds and create a mid-altitude isothermal layer during the dusty season. We validate our model through comparison with an established Mars model, the Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique Mars Planetary Climate Model (PCM), finding good agreement in the seasonal wind and temperature profiles, but discrepancies in the predicted dust mass mixing ratio and conditions at the poles. This study validates the use of the UM for a Martian atmosphere, it highlights how the adaptation of an Earth GCM can be beneficial for existing Mars GCMs and provides insight into the next steps in our development of a new Mars climate model.

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Journal article(s) based on this preprint

27 Jan 2023
A modern-day Mars climate in the Met Office Unified Model: dry simulations
Danny McCulloch, Denis E. Sergeev, Nathan Mayne, Matthew Bate, James Manners, Ian Boutle, Benjamin Drummond, and Kristzian Kohary
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 621–657, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-621-2023,https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-621-2023, 2023
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The requested preprint has a corresponding peer-reviewed final revised paper. You are encouraged to refer to the final revised version.

Short summary
We present results from the Met Office Unified Model (UM) to study the dry Martian climate. We...
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