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Physical Processes

The model physics routines describe inputs to the system and conversion within the atmosphere of energy and mass; these codes compute radiation, turbulence, cloud microphysical processes, etc. The majority of the effort of developing Mars-specific GCMs goes into developing such physics routines appropriate for the Martian environment. The GCM group at NASA Ames Research Center has been developing and implementing physics packages for several decades. Descriptions of the basic physics routines used in the current model as well as those that are in development are listed below.

This image shows a collection of 25 new space images celebrating the Chandra X-ray Observatory's 25th anniversary. The images are arranged in a grid, displayed as five images across in five separate rows. Starting from the upper left, and going across each row, the objects imaged are: Crab Nebula, Orion Nebula, The Eyes Galaxies, Cat's Paw Nebula, Milky Way's Galactic Center, M16, Bat Shadow, NGC 7469, Virgo Cluster, WR 124, G21.5-0.9, Centaurus A, Cassiopeia A, NGC 3532, NGC 6872, Hb 5, Abell 2125, NGC 3324, NGC 1365, MSH 15-52, Arp 220, Jupiter, NGC 1850, MACS J0035, SN 1987A.

Sunrise from the international space station

Radiative Transfer

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Dust Lifting and Dust Cycle Modeling

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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) spacecraft stands vertical at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. PACE is NASA’s newest earth-observing satellite that will help increase our understanding of Earth’s oceans, atmosphere, and climate by delivering hyperspectral observations of microscopic marine organisms called phytoplankton as well new data on clouds and aerosols.

Cloud Microphysics

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Five people in flight suits work on an experiment while floating in a simulated lunar gravity environment.

Gravity Wave Drag

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Image of wispy pink-purple hair-like filaments and a scattering of stars, with three image details pulled out in square boxes stacked vertically along the right.

Planetary Boundary Layer

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A three-dimensional graph includes latitude and date on the bottom axes and altitude from top to bottom. There are purple, blue, and gray spikes in the graph that indicate particles in the atmosphere from Australian wildfires in 2019-202, Siberian wildfires in 2019, two volcanic eruptions in 2019, and one eruption in 2018.

Aerosol Tagging

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Picture of Plasma generated in the Cosmic Simulation Chamber (COSmIC)

Photochemistry

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In this illustration of its descent to Mars, the spacecraft containing NASA's Perseverance rover slows down using the drag generated by its motion in the Martian atmosphere.

Physical Processes for Early Mars

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