- 1Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Department of Physics, Trondheim, Norway (ellenhal@stud.ntnu.no)
- 2University of Oslo, Department of Technology Systems, Oslo, Norway (elisewkn@uio.no)
- 3Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB), Brussels, Belgium (arianna.piccialli@aeronomie.be, ian.thomas@aeronomie.be)
- 4Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan (yuki.nakamura.r2@dc.tohoku.ac.jp)
The atmospheric response to solar energetic particle (SEP) events has been studied in depth on Earth, but far less extensively on Mars. Understanding the Martian atmosphere's response to SEP events gives insight into how external forcing affects the photochemical balance in the Martian atmosphere. SEP events from 2004 to 2024 were identified using the error logs from Mars Express. This methodology contributed to developing a comprehensive database of confirmed space weather events on Mars. We analysed data from the spectrometers NOMAD and SPICAM onboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter and Mars Express, respectively, to study the effects of SEP events on atmospheric ozone. We observed ozone depletion during and in the days following SEP events by examining vertical profiles of ozone abundance before, during, and after SEP events. The ozone depletion typically lasted from several hours to a few days, before pre-SEP event ozone levels were reached. Ozone depletion was most significant at 35-40 km, with up to 70% depletion. Using ozone column abundance time series statistical trends derived from superposed epoch analysis of multiple SEP events revealed a strong correlation between SEP events and ozone depletion. These findings demonstrate that the Martian atmosphere is severely impacted by solar energetic events, and provide insights for improving atmospheric models.
How to cite: Haltuff, E., Knutsen, E. W., Piccialli, A., Nakamura, Y., and Thomas, I.: Ozone depletion from solar energetic particle events on Mars., EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-19279, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-19279, 2025.