A study of the properties of a local dust storm with Mars Express OMEGA and PFS data

We present observations of a local dust storm performed by the OMEGA and PFS instruments aboard Mars Express. OMEGA observations are used to retrieve the dust single-scattering albedo in the spectral range 0.4–4.0 μm. The single-scattering albedo shows fairly constant values between 0.6 and 2.6 μm, and a sharp decrease at wavelengths shorter than 0.6 μm, in agreement with previous studies. It presents a small absorption feature due to ferric oxide at 0.9 μm, and a strong absorption feature due to hydrated minerals between 2.7 and 3.6 μm. We use a statistical method, the Independent Component Analysis, to determine that the dust spectral signature is decoupled from the surface albedo, proving that the retrieval of the single-scattering albedo is reliable, and we map the dust optical thickness with a conventional radiative transfer model. The effect of the dust storm on the atmospheric thermal structure is measured using PFS observations. We also simulate the thermal impact of the dust storm using a one-dimensional atmospheric model. A comparison of the retrieved and modeled temperature structures suggests that the dust in the storm should be confined to the 1–2 lowest scale heights of the atmosphere. However, the observed OMEGA reflectance in the CO2 absorption bands does not support this suggestion.