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Analysis of two selected solar events in 2011 and 2015 with Mars Express radio occultation data
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  • Ananya Krishnan,
  • Ozgur Karatekin,
  • Sebastien Verkercke,
  • Gregoire Henry,
  • Beatriz Sánchez‐Cano,
  • Olivier Witasse
Ananya Krishnan
Universite Catholique de Louvain

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Ozgur Karatekin
Royal Observatory of Belgium
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Sebastien Verkercke
Laboratoire atmosphères, Milieux, Observations spatiales
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Gregoire Henry
Royal Observatory of Belgium
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Beatriz Sánchez‐Cano
University of Leicester
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Olivier Witasse
ESA
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Abstract

The temporal behaviour of the Martian ionosphere is highly variable due to various dynamic processes including space weather events. Here, we study the effect of two solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) on the Martian ionosphere for two selected solar events in 2011 and 2015, using the publicly available Mars EXpress (MEX) radio occultation (RO) data (MaRS). We developed a data processing software that converts the calibrated Radio Occultation (RO) Doppler data to scientifically valuable atmospheric profiles. Using this software and previously unexplored MaRS observations, the variations in ionospheric parameters (electron density profiles and total electron content (TEC)) are calculated in order to evaluate the ionospheric changes due to solar flares and CMEs. The RO measurements mostly available 1 to 4 days apart from the peak events, showed no evident change in the TEC nor in the shape of electron density profiles except for a possible gradual decrease in altitude of M2 (main layer) peak density following the arrival of CMEs. To better quantify the effect of solar events on electron density profiles, RO observations near the time of arrival of solar flares and CMEs are crucial. This can be achieved by frequent RO measurements by various Mars orbiters including spacecraft-to-spacecraft measurements assisted by multi-instrument monitoring of the ionosphere.
29 Jun 2023Submitted to ESS Open Archive
08 Jul 2023Published in ESS Open Archive