Analyzing the Correlation between Topography and Seasonal and Diurnal Temperature Cycles on Mars

Countless new technologies have been made available in the last few decades for Martian exploration and analysis of its climate, surface, and atmospheric dynamics. Temperature data from the Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) were collected and seasonal and diurnal cycles were extracted via Fourier regression analysis. Six diurnal portions for each Martian day were created and were shown to move from west to east across the surface throughout the day while seasonal cycle analysis showed movement of the seasonal cycle from north to south. Missing data are present in preferred regions in the models near dawn and twilight due to satellites paths.

Topography data were retrieved from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) on the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) and plotted within a 2.5-degree grid. The data were aligned with the previous temperature data of an identical grid size to aid in filling these gaps and evaluate the influence of elevation and topography on temperature on the Martian surface using such data analysis as Laplacian of elevation and zonal and meridional gradient of surface elevation. Through this work, seasonal and diurnal association with topography and temperature will be established.