Surface Pressure and Temperature (Short Term)
Here is a comparison of the most recent
24-hour met sessions. Note the general trend of increasing pressure with time into the
mission. This indicates that the South polar cap is reducing, freeing carbon dioxide into
the atmosphere. Also note small pressure features around noon, which we think are
"dust-devils."
In this figure you can see a significant
increase in pressure on Sol 81. This is an indication of a frontal system has moved across
the landing sight.
This temperature
figure shows the change in the mean and variance of the temperature fluctuations at the
Pathfinder landing site. Sol 79 and 80 are very similar, with a significant reduction of
the mean and variance on Sol 81. The science team suspects that a cold front has past of
the landing sight between Sols 80 and 81.