Integrating Non-Orographic Gravity Wave Mixing into the Mars Planetary Climate Model: Impacts on Upper Atmospheric Dynamics and Tracer Transport

This paper introduces a new mixing formalism for non-orographic gravity waves (GWs) that integrates with the stochastic GW scheme previously developed by \cite{liu2023surface}. The formalism extends the parameterization to turbulence-induced mixing from the surface to the exosphere, derived in terms of the eddy diffusion coefficient. Sensitive tests with the Mars Planetary Climate Model reveal eddy diffusivities of 10⁴ -10⁹ cm² s^-1 ,varying with altitude and season. While the induced mixing has minor temperature effects consistent with Mars Climate Sounder observations, it significantly enhances middle-upper atmosphere tracer transport, revealing the critical role of non-orographic GWs in regulating upper atmospheric dynamics and influencing processes like tracer escape.