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MARS

GEOLOGIC LUNAR RESEARCHES

METEOROLOGY Limb Clouds and Hazes. Limb brightenings, or limb arcs were reported throughout the apparition.
Morning and evening limb clouds are distinguished from localized clouds in that they do not rotate with the planet. Limb clouds tend to cluster in the Martian tropical regions, whereas limb hazes/arcs usually extend from pole to pole.
There was an abundance of morning and evening limb clouds throughout most of the apparition, with some of these clouds being very bright at times.
Localized Clouds, Topographic

Topographic clouds are intense bright patches of limited extent that occur seasonally over certain regions .
During the apparition, bright localized clouds became prominent over Chryse, Xanthe-Memnonia, Solis Lacus region and over Tharsis. Hellas also had bright clouds.

Localized Clouds, Orographic Orographic clouds, like those that form on Earth, are white discrete clouds that are condensed from the moisture-laden air which is uplifted over a mountain or volcano. They appear bright on Mars when viewed through a blue (W#80A) or a violet (W#47) color filter.
The most orographic clouds occur over the volcanoes of the Elysium Shield and the Tharsis Bulge. The Tharsis and Elysium orographics persisted and became larger and brighter well into northern summer. Bright clouds over Olympus Mons and Tharsis were recorded.