MERIDIONAL TRANSPORT AND WATER RESERVOIRS IN SOUTHERN MARS DURING 1988-1989

Latitudinally resolved measurements of water-vapor column abundance in the martian atmosphere, obtained on four occasions in 1988-1989, are analyzed by a two-dimensional (2D) zonally symmetric water transport m odel. It predicted no substantial meridional water-vapor transport dur ing the period covered by the observations. If the fundamental assumpt ion of the model holds-that the mean meridional (overturning cell) and CO2 condensation/sublimation flows transport most of the water during this time of the martian year-then the southern midlatitudes are stro ngly indicated as the sink for the water that disappeared during this period. The model predicts the chances of the southern residual cap be ing the source of large amounts of water vapor during southern summer to be low. It also predicts that a very dusty atmosphere would have en hanced the transport of water vapor to the north during this season. ( C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.