While Mars is commonly known, many might be unaware of its atmosphere and the occurrence of storms on its surface. Despite having a much thinner atmosphere than Earth, the red planet experiences storms regularly, a fascinating fact for those learning about it for the first time.
The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Mars mission, known as the Hope Mission, has made intriguing discoveries regarding the impact of Martian storms on the planet’s surface. Despite the thin atmosphere, these storms cause discernible changes on Mars that can be observed even from orbit.
A recently published paper in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets detailed the findings of the Hope probe before and after a Martian storm in 2022. Equipped with an infrared spectrometer, the probe detected alterations in the thickness of the dust cover on Mars from its orbit. These changes were observed in various regions of the planet.
The Hope Mission shared an animation on December 29, providing a visual representation of the observed phenomena.
The researchers noted, “Although the regional dust storm was active over all the regions of interest, we found that dust may have been removed and subsequently deposited with varying levels of intensity in the regions sampled.”
The probe revealed that certain areas on Mars experienced a net removal of dust up to 340 micrometers, resulting in changes in surface temperatures detectable from orbit. Conversely, some regions experienced a net deposition of dust up to 120 micrometers.
To enhance their analysis, the researchers incorporated visible-wavelength imagery from the Emirates Exploration Imager, which is more sensitive to changes in surface dust distribution.
The study’s estimates suggest that these “dust reservoirs are capable of transporting vast quantities of dust over short timescales,” providing valuable insights into the dynamic and ever-changing environment of the Martian surface.
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