Tentative identification of formaldehyde in the Martian atmosphere

Abstract

Solar occultation observations of the Martian atmosphere near the limb of the planet were performed during the Phobos mission by means of the Auguste infrared spectrometer in the ranges 2707-2740 and 5392-5272 cm-1 with a resolving power of [approximate] 1300. The spectra exhibit features at 2710 and 2730 cm-1 which have not been identified previously. After applying a set of corrections to the data and examining the spectra of various molecules, we are led to conclude that the best candidate for the above-mentioned features is formaldehyde (CH2O). It was observed in eight of the nine successful occultation sequences, mainly between 8 and 20 km with an average mixing ratio of 0.5+0.8-0.3 ppm (there are no good data below 8 km). The observations are performed in equatorial spring conditions. The altitude distribution of formaldehyde reveals correlation with the permanent haze opacity.