JournalofGeophysicalResearch: Planets RESEARCH ARTICLE Mars Global Ionosphere-Thermosphere Model: 10.1002/2014JE004715 Solar cycle, seasonal, and diurnal variations Key Points: of the Mars upper atmosphere • The Mars Global 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ionosphere-Thermosphere Model S. W. Bougher ,D.Pawlowski ,J.M.Bell , S. Nelli , T. McDunn , J. R. Murphy , (MGITM) is presented and validated M. Chizek6, and A. Ridley1 • MGITM captures solar cycle, seasonal, and diurnal trends observed above 1Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, 2Physics 100 km 3 • MGITM variations will be compared Department, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA, National Institute of Aerospace, Hampton, Virginia, 4 5 6 to key episodic variations in USA, Harris, ITS, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, USA, Astronomy future studies Department, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA Correspondence to: S. W. Bougher, Abstract A new Mars Global Ionosphere-Thermosphere Model (M-GITM) is presented that combines
[email protected] the terrestrial GITM framework with Mars fundamental physical parameters, ion-neutral chemistry, and key radiative processes in order to capture the basic observed features of the thermal, compositional, and Citation: dynamical structure of the Mars atmosphere from the ground to the exosphere (0–250 km). Lower, middle, Bougher, S. W., D. Pawlowski, and upper atmosphere processes are included, based in part upon formulations used in previous lower and J. M. Bell, S. Nelli, T. McDunn, upper atmosphere Mars GCMs. This enables the M-GITM code to be run for various seasonal, solar cycle, and J. R.