The response of Martian photoelectron boundary to the 2018 global dust storm

Abstract

Extensive research efforts have revealed that the Martian dust storms can perturb the upper atmospheric condition and as a consequence, enhance plasma density and photoelectron flux in the ionosphere. However, previous observational studies of the Martian dust storm impacts have been restricted to regions below 400 km, which limits our understanding of the Martian dust storm effects in the upper ionosphere and magnetosphere. Here, based on the suprathermal electron measurements made by the Solar Wind Electron Analyzer onboard the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, we identify with an automatic procedure the occurrences of all photoelectron boundary (PEB) crossings at solar zenith angle below 120° (with a dust-free median altitude of about 600 km). Using the dayside PEB as a proxy of the upper ionospheric and magnetospheric condition, we analyze the variations of the PEB altitude during the 2018 global dust storm (GDS) of Mars Year 34 (MY34) and compare them with the period in MY33 when there was no global dust storm. We conclude that the column dust optical depth (CDOD) emerges as one of the main driving factors for PEB altitude variations during the GDS. Our analysis implies that the GDS can affect the Martian upper atmosphere and ionosphere over considerable distances and extended time scales.