Explore Mars with JMARS
Example 1: Day and Year temperature charts for Olympus Mons:Â
There is a tool/program called KRC, that computes average daily and yearly temperatures of most any location on Mars.
On the day chart the default longitude is set at about the northern summer solstice, 100Ëš. On the year chart, the time is set at 13.5 hr, which is pretty much overhead. You can control these settings to study the effects of different sun’s angle. http://www-mars.lmd.jussieu.fr/mars/time/solar_longitude.html
Notice 2 things:
1. On the day chart, the daily temperature does not fall below 146 K. This is because at this temperature CO2 gas deposits as frost on the ground. During this phase change, heat is given off. If the ground becomes colder, more CO2 deposits and adds heat, keeping the ground from getting colder. As the sun rises and then sets, the temperature follows a curve, similar to that which we would experience on Earth.
2. During the year the temperature fluctuates with the seasons, similar to what we would experience on Earth. The blue vertical line on both charts reads the same 230 (K) at a solar angle of 100 degrees at ~1:30 pm.