The Mars Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (MRAMS) is a

computer program A computer program is a sequence or set of instructions in a programming language for a computer to execute. Computer programs are one component of software, which also includes documentation and other intangible components. A computer progra ...

that simulates the circulations of the

Martian Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, has appeared as a setting in works of fiction since at least the mid-1600s. It became the most popular celestial object in fiction in the late 1800s as the Moon was evidently lifeless. At the time, the pre ...

atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. ...

at regional and local scales.Rafkin, S. C. R., Haberle, R. M., and T. I. Michaels, 2001: The Mars Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (MRAMS): Model description and selected simulations. Icarus, 151, 228-256. MRAMS, developed by Scot Rafkin and Timothy Michaels, is derived from the

Regional Atmospheric Modeling System The Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) is a set of computer programs that simulate the atmosphere for weather and climate research and for numerical weather prediction (NWP). Other components include a data analysis and a visualization pac ...

(RAMS) developed by

William R. Cotton William R. Cotton is an American cloud physicist and mesoscale meteorology educator. He is a professor emeritus in the Department of Atmospheric Science at the Colorado State University (CSU). Background Cotton earned a B.A. in mathematics at ...

and

Roger A. Pielke Roger A. Pielke Sr. (born October 22, 1946) is an American meteorologist with interests in climate variability and climate change, environmental vulnerability, numerical modeling, atmospheric dynamics, land/ocean – atmosphere interactions, an ...

to study atmospheric circulations on the Earth. Key features of MRAMS include a non-hydrostatic, fully compressible dynamics, explicit bin dust,

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as ...

, and

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide ( chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is t ...

ice atmospheric physics

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

, and a fully prognostic

regolith Regolith () is a blanket of unconsolidated, loose, heterogeneous superficial deposits covering solid rock. It includes dust, broken rocks, and other related materials and is present on Earth, the Moon, Mars, some asteroids, and other terrestri ...

model that includes carbon dioxide

deposition Deposition may refer to: * Deposition (law), taking testimony outside of court * Deposition (politics), the removal of a person of authority from political power * Deposition (university), a widespread initiation ritual for new students practiced ...

and

sublimation Sublimation or sublimate may refer to: * ''Sublimation'' (album), by Canvas Solaris, 2004 * Sublimation (phase transition), directly from the solid to the gas phase * Sublimation (psychology), a mature type of defense mechanism * Sublimate of mer ...

. Several Mars exploration projects, including the

Mars Exploration Rovers NASA's Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission was a robotic space mission involving two Mars rovers, '' Spirit'' and '' Opportunity'', exploring the planet Mars. It began in 2003 with the launch of the two rovers to explore the Martian surface ...

, the Phoenix Scout Mission, and the

Mars Science Laboratory Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is a robotic space probe mission to Mars launched by NASA on November 26, 2011, which successfully landed ''Curiosity'', a Mars rover, in Gale Crater on August 6, 2012. The overall objectives include investigati ...

have used MRAMS to study a variety of atmospheric circulations. The MRAMS operates at the mesoscale and microscale, modeling and simulating the Martian atmosphere. The smaller scale modeling of the MRAMS gives it higher resolution data points and models over complex terrain and topography. It is able to identify topography driven flows like katabatic and anabatic winds through valleys and mountains that produce changes in atmospheric circulation.

Structure

Dynamic Core

The dynamic core's role is to solve fluid mechanic equations related to atmospheric dynamics. The equations in the dynamic core of the MRAMS are based on primitive grid-volume Reynolds-averaged equations. The related equations are meant to solve for momentum, thermodynamics, tracers, and conservation of mass. The MRAMS dynamical core integrates equations for momentum, thermodynamics (atmosphere-surface heat exchange), tracers, and conservation of mass.

Parameterizations

The MRAMS dynamical core was developed from RAMS and has been changed excessively to account for the large difference in atmospheres between Mars and Earth. Some MRAMS models parameterize numerous features including dust and dust lifting, cloud microphysics, radiative transfer, and steep topography.

Grid

The MRAMS operates on the mesoscale and therefore is a regional tool not global, making it accurate for data collection around complex terrain and changing topography. The computational grid types developed for the MRAMS are of the Arakawa C-type. The grid spacing is irregular and requires the use of scaling. The high resolution of the MRAMS stems from the use of the nested two-way grid system. The two-way grid system incorporates a parent grid that establishes initial boundary layers to be used and by the finer grid for accurate data collection.

References

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External links

MRAMS homepage
Atmosphere of Mars Physics software Numerical climate and weather models