Thermal Sounding of the Martian Atmosphere Using the ACS TIRVIM FT-IR Spectrometer on Board ExoMars TGO: Method for Solving the Inverse Problem

Abstract

This paper presents a method for solving the inverse problem of thermal sounding using calibrated data from the ACS TIRVIM experiment on board the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. The 1.7–17 µm range TIRVIM Fourier spectrometer as part of the ACS instrument complex aboard the ExoMars TGO operates in the nadir and solar occultation modes in orbit around Mars. The main scientific goal of TIRVIM in the nadir observation mode is the long-term constant monitoring of the thermal structure of the Martian atmosphere and the general content of aerosols and water vapor from measurements in the range of 5–16.7 µm (600–2000 cm^–1). To process the TIRVIM nadir measurements, an algorithm was developed, allowing the retrieval of the vertical temperature profile from the surface to 60 km, the surface temperature, and the general content of dust and water ice in the atmosphere from the TIRVIM spectrum in the range of 600–1250 cm^–1, as well as the water vapor column abundance according to measurements in the range of 1250–1830 cm^–1. The processing method widely uses the achievements of previous similar experiments, taking into account the features of the TIRVIM spectra. Using the developed method 2.28 × 10⁶ spectra obtained by TIRVIM in nadir by regular measurements, were processed with retrieval of the thermal structure up to 60 km altitude and the aerosol content in the atmosphere as well as additional 2.3 × 10⁵ specially averaged TIRVIM spectra, were processed with retrieval of the water vapor column abundancein the Martian atmosphere.