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Dataset

 

Mars Analysis Correction Data Assimilation (MACDA): Atmospheric and surface fields produced from assimilated MGS/TES, ODY/THEMIS, and MRO/MCS observations, v2.0

Update Frequency: Not Planned
Latest Data Update: 2026-01-09
Status: Completed
Online Status: ONLINE
Publication State: Citable
Publication Date: 2026-01-30
DOI Publication Date: 2026-01-30
Download Stats: last 12 months
Dataset Size: 269 Files | 201GB

Abstract

This dataset contains 268 files of basic gridded atmospheric and surface data for the planet Mars, each covering a period of 30 sols (Martian mean solar days). The fields are produced by assimilating retrieved atmospheric quantities using the Analysis Correction (AC) scheme in the UK spectral version (Oxford University and The Open University) of the Mars Planetary Climate Model (Mars-PCM), which is maintained by the Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique at Sorbonne Université in Paris, France.

Observations are taken from the Mars Global Surveyor/Thermal Emission Spectrometer (MGS/TES), the Mars Odyssey/Thermal Emission Imaging System (ODY/THEMIS), and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter/Mars Climate Sounder (MRO/MCS) instruments. Assimilated MGS/TES retrievals include nadir thermal profiles below approximately 40 km altitude and column dust optical depth values. Assimilated ODY/THEMIS retrievals include column dust optical depth values. Assimilated MRO/MCS retrievals include limb thermal profiles and dust extinction profiles below approximately 80 km altitude, as well as estimates of column dust optical depth values.

The dataset covers 12 Martian years (MY), from MY 24 through MY 35 (i.e. from July 1998 through February 2021). Each file contains 30 sols, and each sol contains variables at 12 times. TES, THEMIS, and MCS retrievals are assimilated separately, with no overlap. Several 30-sol periods at the beginning of MY 24 contain no available observations; in these cases the model is run with no assimilation (free run).

The file name and the "assimilation_run_type" global attribute indicate which observing system is assimilated in each file: MGS/TES, ODY/THEMIS, MRO/MCS, MRO/MCS_nodust (only thermal profiles, no dust extinction profiles nor column dust optical depth values), MRO/MCS_nodustprof (only thermal profiles and column dust optical depth values, no dust extinction profiles), or free-run (i.e. no assimilated observations because retrievals are not available).

Citable as:  Valeanu, A.; Rajendran, K.; Montabone, L.; Read, P.L. (2026): Mars Analysis Correction Data Assimilation (MACDA): Atmospheric and surface fields produced from assimilated MGS/TES, ODY/THEMIS, and MRO/MCS observations, v2.0. NERC EDS Centre for Environmental Data Analysis, 30 January 2026. doi:10.5285/cd037a9ea387438fabf4d674dbe53088. https://dx.doi.org/10.5285/cd037a9ea387438fabf4d674dbe53088

Abbreviation: Not defined
Keywords: Mars, Martian, MGCM, dust, dust and temperature assimilation

Details

Previous Info:
No news update for this record
Previously used record identifiers:
No related previous identifiers.
Access rules:
Public data: access to these data is available to both registered and non-registered users.
Use of these data is covered by the following licence(s):
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/
When using these data you must cite them correctly using the citation given on the CEDA Data Catalogue record.
Data lineage:

The atmospheric and surface data included in this dataset are produced by assimilating retrieved atmospheric quantities using the Analysis Correction (AC) scheme in the UK spectral version (Oxford University and The Open University) of the Mars Planetary Climate Model (Mars-PCM), which is maintained by the Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique at Sorbonne Université in Paris, France. The model version used is labelled Mars_PCM-UK-spectral_v5.2. This dataset represents version 2 of the MACDA project and assimilates retrievals from observations by the Mars Global Surveyor/Thermal Emission Spectrometer (MGS/TES), the Mars Odyssey/Thermal Emission Imaging System (ODY/THEMIS), and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter/Mars Climate Sounder (MRO/MCS) instruments. TES column dust optical depth retrievals are version 2023 (http://doi.org/10.17189/kwez-jq47), and MCS retrievals are version 5.2.

Data produced by the project team were then supplied for archiving at the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis (CEDA).

File Format:
Data are NetCDF formatted

Process overview

This dataset was generated by a combination of instruments deployed on platforms and computations as detailed below.

Computation Element: 1

Title Mars Planetary Climate Model (Mars-PCM): Mars_PCM-UK-spectral version
Abstract The Mars Planetary Climate Model (Mars-PCM) is maintained by the Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique at Sorbonne Université in Paris, France. The version of the model used to produce the MACDA dataset in the CEDA archive is the UK spectral version, which is developed by the Oxford University and the Open University in the UK. The Analysis Correction scheme used to assimilate spacecraft observations in the Mars_PCM-UK-spectral model was originally developed at the UK Met Office and implemented in the model at the Oxford University and The Open University.
Input Description None
Output Description None
Software Reference None
Output Description

None

  • units: K
  • standard_name: air_temperature
  • var_id: temp
  • long_name: Atmospheric Temperature
  • units: kg m-2
  • long_name: Carbon dioxide ice
  • standard_name: surface_frozen_carbon_dioxide_amount
  • var_id: co2ice
  • units: 1
  • standard_name: mass_fraction_of_dust_dry_aerosol_particles_in_air
  • var_id: dustmmr
  • long_name: Dust mass mixing ratio
  • units: m2 s-2
  • standard_name: geopotential
  • var_id: geop
  • long_name: Geopotential field
  • units: W m-2
  • standard_name: surface_downwelling_longwave_flux_in_air
  • var_id: lwflux
  • long_name: Longwave downward surface flux
  • units: 1
  • var_id: Mars_date
  • long_name: Mars date and time at prime meridian
  • units: m s-1
  • standard_name: northward_wind
  • long_name: Meridional wind component
  • var_id: vwind
  • units: Pa s-1
  • var_id: omega
  • standard_name: lagrangian_tendency_of_air_pressure
  • long_name: Omega vertical velocity component
  • units: W m-2
  • standard_name: surface_downwelling_shortwave_flux_in_air
  • var_id: swflux
  • long_name: Shortwave downward surface flux
  • units: degrees
  • long_name: Solar longitude
  • standard_name: solar_longitude
  • var_id: Ls
  • units: 1
  • var_id: MY_Ls
  • long_name: Solar longitude-based Martian year
  • units: Pa
  • standard_name: surface_air_pressure
  • long_name: Surface pressure
  • var_id: psurf
  • units: K
  • standard_name: surface_temperature
  • long_name: Surface temperature
  • var_id: tsurf
  • units: 1
  • standard_name: atmosphere_optical_thickness_due_to_dust_dry_aerosol
  • var_id: coldust
  • long_name: Visible total dust optical thickness
  • units: m s-1
  • standard_name: eastward_wind
  • long_name: Zonal wind component
  • var_id: uwind
  • units: 1
  • var_id: lev
  • long_name: model sigma levels
  • standard_name: atmosphere_sigma_coordinate

Co-ordinate Variables

  • units: degrees_north
  • standard_name: latitude
  • long_name: latitude
  • var_id: lat
  • units: degrees_east
  • standard_name: longitude
  • long_name: longitude
  • var_id: lon
  • long_name: time
  • standard_name: time
  • var_id: time
  • units: days
Coverage
Temporal Range
Start time:
1998-07-14T00:00:00
End time:
2021-07-02T23:59:59
Geographic Extent

 
90.0000°
 
-180.0000°
 
180.0000°
 
-90.0000°