Effect of the Net Charges Carried by Dust on Martian Atmospheric Temperature.

Dust particles suspended in the dusty Martian atmosphere are prone to being charged. In this paper, we investigate the effect of the net charges carried by dust particles on the radiative properties of Martian dust. We find that net charges carried by dust particles significantly alter the extinction properties and single scattering albedo of dust at thermal infrared radiation band, which results in an enhancement of the infrared heating rate, up to 6.36%. We show that the discrepancy between the atmospheric temperature predicted by the Mars Atmosphere Model and the one detected during the Mars rover landing is reduced to within 11% when the effect of the net charges carried by the dust is considered. Therefore, it is essential to consider the effect of the net charges carried by dust particles for an accurate characterization of the atmospheric temperature. Plain Language Summary: Dust suspended in the atmosphere has long been considered as an important factor in altering Mars atmospheric temperature. The suspended Martian dust particles can scatter and absorb solar radiation and thermal infrared radiation, and their heating effect on the atmosphere is significant. The variation of the size and opacity of Martian dust with altitude affecting the interaction of dust particles with solar visible and infrared radiation has been extensively studied. However, the dust suspended in the Martian atmosphere are prone to being charged, and the effect of the net charges carried by the dust on the radiation effect has been neglected in existing studies. Therefore, we investigate the effect of the net charges carried by dust particles on the radiative properties of Martian dust. We find that the net charge carried by dust particles leads to a significant enhancement of the heating rate. In addition, the atmospheric temperature predicted by the atmospheric model is much closer to the one measured during the Mars rover landing when the effect of the net charge carried by the dust is considered. Key Points: Radiation properties of Martian dust change drastically when these particles are chargedThe net charges carried by dust contribute significantly to the Martian atmosphere heating rateThe difference between the observed and model‐predicted atmospheric temperatures is reduced when the effect of dust charging is considered [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]