Upcoming talk at CSES Symposium
Published:
I will be delivering a talk at the LANL Center for Space and Earth Science (CSES) Symposium.
When: Wednesday August 23rd 2023 | 14:45 - 15:00
Where: J. Robert Oppenheimer Center, Jemez/Cochiti Room (TA-03 Bldg 0207-218)
Title: The Mars Underground: Characterizing methane seepage on the Red Planet
Abstract:
In recent years, the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument on board the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover has detected methane variations in the atmosphere at Gale crater. Methane concentrations appear to fluctuate seasonally as well as sub-diurnally, which is difficult to reconcile with an as-yet-unknown transport mechanism delivering the gas from underground to the atmosphere. We consider barometrically-induced transport of methane from an underground source to the surface, modulated by temperature-dependent adsorption as a mechanism to potentially explain the fluctuations. The subsurface fractured-rock seepage model is coupled to a simplified atmospheric mixing model to provide insights on the pattern of atmospheric methane concentrations in response to transient surface methane emissions, as well as to predict sub-diurnal variation in methane abundance for the Northern Summer period, for which we propose two strategic SAM-TLS samples during Curiosity’s potentially final sampling campaign.
