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The structure and dynamics of Mars' middle and upper atmosphere is significantly impacted by waves propagating from the lower atmosphere. Using concurrent temperature and neutral density measurements taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN satellites, we demonstrate for the first time that a 2.5-sol ultra-fast Kelvin wave is a prominent global-scale feature of the low-latitude middle (i.e., 30-80 km) and upper (approximately 150 km) atmosphere of Mars. Further, we present evidence of secondary waves arising from nonlinear interactions between this ultra-fast Kelvin wave and solar tides, and based on their amplitudes we surmise that they could represent an important source of tidal and longitudinal variability in the aerobraking region.

Plain Language Summary The upper atmosphere of Mars is driven by a combination of effects linked to solar radiation and to waves that originate in the lower and middle atmosphere. Upward propagating waves are responsible for short-term temperature and wind variations in Mars' middle and upper atmosphere and couple different layers of Mars' atmosphere. While in the last couple of decades our understanding of the processes responsible for this coupling has considerably improved, there are many unresolved questions regarding the impacts of the entire spectrum of these waves on the upper atmosphere of Mars. In this work we demonstrate that a strong ultra-fast Kelvin wave with a period of 3 sols and the secondary waves generated by its nonlinear interaction with solar tides can be a large source of variability in Mars' middle and upper atmosphere.