The Atmospheric Response to an Unusual Early-Year Martian Dust Storm

A regional dust storm was observed in the northern spring of Martian Year 35, characterized by a relatively cold and clear atmosphere. Satellite observations and general circulation model simulations show that the atmospheric temperature response to this early regional dust storm is significant, both in the dust lifting region and in remote areas. Atmospheric heating in the dust-lifting region was primarily driven by shortwave radiative heating of dust particles. Anomalous cooling in the northern mesosphere and heating responses in the southern troposphere were associated with dust-modulated gravity waves and planetary waves, respectively. Inhomogeneous heating from dust distribution during the storm generated anomalous atmospheric waves, significantly enhancing southward meridional circulation and lifting water vapor in the lower tropical troposphere. This dust storm substantially increased meridional water transport from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere, with pronounced longitudinal asymmetry underscoring the influence of tropical topographic features on water vapor transport.