Mars Thermal Inertia and Surface Temperatures by the Mars Climate Sounder

Over the last 16 years, the Mars Climate Sounder onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has acquired a large body of surface temperature observations at visible and thermal infrared wavelengths. These data have been analyzed to characterize polar processes, map the distribution of ices at all latitudes, constrain the physical properties of the Martian regolith, and their changes over the course of seasons and years. In this paper, we present an overview of selected surface temperature maps representative of the current conditions at the interface between the atmosphere and the crust. Temperature controls at regional and global scales include the variation of insolation with season and latitude, the atmosphere composition, global circulation, the presence of snow precipitations, and various regolith properties (i.e., albedo and thermal inertia). The MCS record's primary differentiator from other surface dataset includes its length and regular global coverage, and its ability to cover a range of local times by pointing on either side of MRO’s orbital track.