Effects of the 2007 Martian Global Dust Storm on Boundary Positions in the Induced Magnetosphere

Abstract

Mars's magnetosphere is a sensitive system, varying due to external and internal factors, such as solar wind conditions and crustal magnetic fields. A signature of this influence can be seen in the position of two boundaries; the bow shock and the induced magnetospheric boundary (IMB). The bow shock moves closer to Mars during times of high solar activity, and both the bow shock and IMB bulge away from Mars over crustal magnetic fields in the southern hemisphere. This study investigates whether large-scale atmospheric events at Mars have any signature in these two magnetic boundaries, by investigating the 2007 storm. The 2007 global storm lasted for several months and increased atmospheric temperatures and densities of both water vapor and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, leading to an increase in atmospheric escape. Using Mars Express, we identified boundary locations before, during, and after the event, and compared these to modeled boundary locations and areographical locations on Mars. We find that, while it is unclear whether the bow shock position is impacted by the storm, the IMB location does change significantly, despite the orbital bias introduced by Mars Express. The terminator distance for the IMB peaks at longitudes 0°–40° and 310°–360°, leaving a depression around 180° longitude, where the boundary usually extends to higher altitudes due to the crustal magnetic fields. We suggest this may be due to the confinement of ionospheric plasma over crustal fields preventing mixing with the dust, creating a dip in ionospheric pressure here.

Keywords

• Mars
• Planetary magnetospheres
• Planetary science
• Planetary ionospheres
• Surface processes