The Ensemble Mars Atmosphere Reanalysis System (EMARS) Version 1.0

Geosci Data J. 2019 Nov;6(2):137-150. doi: 10.1002/gdj3.77. Epub 2019 Aug 23.

Abstract

The Ensemble Mars Atmosphere Reanalysis System (EMARS) dataset version 1.0 contains hourly gridded atmospheric variables for the planet Mars, spanning Mars Year (MY) 24 through 33 (1999 through 2017). A reanalysis represents the best estimate of the state of the atmosphere by combining observations that are sparse in space and time with a dynamical model and weighting them by their uncertainties. EMARS uses the Local Ensemble Transform Kalman Filter (LETKF) for data assimilation with the GFDL/NASA Mars Global Climate Model (MGCM). Observations that are assimilated include the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) and Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) temperature retrievals. The dataset includes gridded fields of temperature, wind, surface pressure, as well as dust, water ice, CO2 surface ice and other atmospheric quantities. Reanalyses are useful for both science and engineering studies, including investigations of transient eddies, the polar vortex, thermal tides and dust storms, and during spacecraft operations.

Keywords: assimilation; atmosphere; ensemble; mars; reanalysis.