Dust Storm Options

[sranderson]

Spaceweather (www.spaceweather.com) is reporting a dust storm on Mars visible in amateur telescopes. Hope we don't get too much dust-fall on the solar panels....

[Phil Stooke]

I'm not as sceptical as the other Doug (in this case anyway). The broad dark bands don't look at all like wind tails or compression artifacts to me. The fact that they seem different between images doesn't mean anything, as these are two different images from different dates, so changes would be quite reasonable. The very narrow dark bands are the anatolia-style linear depressions. The Gusev streaks are curlier but that might be related to the topographic differences between sites.

Phil

[RNeuhaus]

I think that the differences between the Dust Devil and Wind Streak are of its traces. The DD *never* trace a stright line since it is subjected by the convencion of two different temperatures between the surface and the atmosphere which are very dynamic. Otherwise, the Wind Streak is of a constant or prominent wind and its force changes the color of surface in stright lines due to different kind of sand or dust on the surface. Then the typical atmospheric phenomenas: DD-> Gusev, SW -> Meridiani

Rodolfo

[Bill Harris]

Admittedly, some streaks are jpg artifacts and wind tails but more of the dark tracks do curve and show characteristics of whirlwinds or dust devils. I suspect that the differences between here and at Gusev are caused by higher windspeeds on this flat plain and by the less-dusty armored surface.

The images do show the narrow anatolia lineations well. Phil's recent polar pans shown here do suggest that the "micro craters" seen Erebus-ward are indeed caused by sapping and not impact; I seen crater chains in this region.

--Bill