Catherine Regan

In July 2007, a regional dust storm on Mars grew and became global, engulfing the entire planet and lasting several months. This storm had a profound impact across Mars, with dust reaching altitudes of 80 km and global temperatures rising by up to 40 K. It is seen from Mars Express (MEx) MARSIS data that ionization created in the lower atmosphere is observed at higher altitudes, with an altitude dependent enhancement in plasma density over crustal magnetic fields (Venkateswara et al., 2019). The Analyzer of Space Plasmas and Energetic Atoms (ASPERA-3) experiment on the MEx spacecraft has operated at Mars since 2004 (continuing to operate today) and has produced a long time-base of plasma measurements from as low as 250 km. ASPERA-3 on MEx will be used to investigate the effects the 2007 global dust storm had on the plasma environment by comparing data before, during, and after the event. Of particular interest are plasma measurements over radial magnetic fields from crustal anomalies, where transport of charged particles is guided out of the atmosphere. The before, during, and after effects will shed light on to the influence dust storms have on the escaping plasma measured by ASPERA-3 and how dust changes the local plasma escape directly from the atmosphere. Our initial study focuses on data from the electron spectrometer (ELS) where we investigate how the energy distribution and peak energy value varies in altitude above the Martian surface.