For the first time on a global scale, 20 years of observations on Mars have been condensed into a single study led by Francisco Brasil and Pedro Machado, both researchers from the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Lisbon (CIÊNCIAS ULisboa). This study, an extensive and comprehensive analysis of the red planet’s atmospheric waves, has just been published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.

Atmospheric waves are “wave-shaped disturbances that travel through the planet’s atmosphere, much like waves moving across the surface of water,” explains the study “Atmospheric Gravity Waves in Mars’ Lower Atmosphere: Nadir Observations From OMEGA/Mars Express Data.”

The researchers focused on this energy, which has a significant impact on the planet’s climate. The data, collected by the Observatoire pour la Minéralogie, l’Eau, les Glaces et l’Activité (OMEGA) from the European Mars Express space mission, served as the foundation for this ambitious analysis.

The researchers examined 263 groups of atmospheric waves and conducted a detailed analysis of 125 of them. Three major phenomena were studied: dry ice waves, water waves, and dust storms. The biggest challenge? Identifying images with and without clouds among hundreds of thousands of photos—since clouds are rare and scattered on Mars.

This study, based on two decades of data, provides a deeper understanding of Martian climate. “The differences between Mars and Earth are even greater than we thought. There is more asymmetry between the southern and northern hemispheres than previously believed,” explains Pedro Machado, a researcher at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon and one of the lead authors of the study, which involved nine experts from various countries.

Francisco Brasil and Pedro Machado have made history with this publication, but their work is far from over. They are currently analyzing additional data and developing a new study method that will allow not only the observation of atmospheric waves but also the wind fields of a distant Mars—one that is becoming increasingly familiar.