The high-altitude peaks of atmospheric ozone as observed by NOMAD/UVIS onboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter Mission

Solar occultations performed by the Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery (NOMAD) ultraviolet and visible spectrometer (UVIS) onboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) have provided a comprehensive mapping of ozone density, describing the seasonal and spatial distribution of atmospheric ozone in detail. The observations presented here extend over a full Mars year between April 2018 at the beginning of the TGO science operations during late northern summer on Mars (Ls = 163°) and March 2020. UVIS provided transmittance spectra of the martian atmosphere in the 200 - 650 nm wavelength range, allowing measurements of the vertical distribution of the ozone density using its Hartley absorption band (200 – 300 nm). Our findings indicate the presence of (1) a high-altitude peak of ozone between 40 and 60 km in altitude over the north polar latitudes for over 45 % of the martian year, particularly during mid-northern spring, late northern summer-early southern spring, and late southern summer, and (2) a second, but more prominent, high-altitude ozone peak in the south polar latitudes, lasting for over 60 % of the year including the southern autumn and winter seasons. When they are present, both high-altitude peaks are observed in the sunrise and sunset occultations, indicating that the layers could persist during the day. Model results from the GEM-Mars General Circulation predicts the general behavior of the high-altitude peaks of ozone observed by UVIS and are used in an attempt to further our understanding of the chemical processes controlling the high-altitude ozone on Mars.