Martian Winds โPack Unexpected Punch, Reaching Speeds of 158 km/h, New Research โReveals
Bern, Switzerland – Winds on Mars are considerablyโ stronger than previously believed,โ wiht observations โฃrevealing gusts reaching upโฃ to 158 kilometers per hour (98 miles per hour), according to a new study led by researchers at the โขuniversityโข of Bern. The findings, โขpublished recently and based on data from the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Mars Express and ExoMars missions,โข offer a crucial โขnew understanding of the Red Planet’s atmospheric dynamics and have implicationsโค for โคfuture exploration.
For years,scientistsโ have struggled to accurately measure wind speeds on Mars due to its โขthin atmosphere. The breakthrough came through analyzing dust vortices – swirling โcolumns of dust โขthat act as visible markers of wind movement.Using high-resolution stereo imagery from the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on Mars Expressโ and the stereo and Color Surface imagingโ System (CaSSIS) on the exomars orbiter,โ the team trackedโค these vortices with unprecedented accuracy.
“The dust โคvortices function like natural landmarks that make wind โขmovements visible,” explained the study’s leadโข researcher from the University ofโ Bern. โ
The team identified 384 dust vorticesโค using cassis data andโ 655 โusing HRSC. Observations show โthese phenomena are most common in dry regions during Martian summer and spring, typically lasting onlyโ minutes and peaking in activity between 11:00 and 14:00 local time.
The recorded wind speeds around these vortices – up to 44 โคmeters per second (158โ km/h) -โ dramatically exceed previous estimates, which placed average Martianโค wind โฃspeeds below 50โ km/h with a maximum around 100 km/h. “Thisโ dataโ helps us know where and when winds were strong enough to lift dust from the surface,”โค said researcherโข Bickel.
This finding isn’t just about understanding Martian weather. The improved understanding of wind โpatternsโค will beโ vital for future missions. Scientists can now refine climate models, better predict dust storm risks, โฃand enhance the safety and efficiency of landingโ probes.
“Information about โขwind strength is also important for determining landing locationsโฃ and estimating howโ much dust could stick to solar panels, potentially โคreducing the power of devices on the surface,” added Danielaโ Tirschโ of the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
Beyond mission โคplanning, the research shedsโค light on โongoing โคgeological processes on Mars, includingโข the โformation of sand dunes and surface patterns. “These measurementsโฃ pave the wayโ for a better understanding โฃof the geological activity that is stillโ occurring โon mars,” โฃBickel stated. โฃ
The study underscores โฃthe power of combining advanced imaging technology with long-term analysis to โฃunlock the secrets โขof our planetary neighbor.
source: esa.int