The Spatial and Temporal Probability of Dust Storm Activity in Chryse, One of the Tentative Landing Areas of Tianwen-1 Mission

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Li ◽  
Jiang Zhang ◽  
Zongyu Yue ◽  
Peiwen Yao ◽  
Chenfan Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dust Storm ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Polar Ice ◽  
Storm Activity ◽  
Mars Atmosphere ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
Activity Frequency ◽  
Temporal And Spatial

Abstract Dust storms, observed in all seasons, are among the most momentous Mars atmosphere activities. The Entry-Descent-Landing (EDL) activity of a Martian landing mission is influenced by local atmospheric conditions, especially the dust storm activity probability. It is of great significance to know well the dust storm situation that China's first Mars mission (Tianwen-1) may encounter in EDL season in the Chryse area, one of the tentative landing areas. Firstly, based on four Martian years’ Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) Mars Daily Global Maps (MDGMs), 1172 dust storms were identified within Chryse’s 1600 km radius ring with their shape parameters extracted, including center, range and area. Secondly, the daily mean dust storm probability was calculated binned by 1° of solar longitude in the Chryse area during EDL season. Dust storm activity frequency was closely interrelated with the seasonal ebb and flow of the arctic polar ice cap, consequently, most of dust storms occurring in either the cap’s grow or the recession. The dust storm activity in the Chryse area mainly came from the northern polar cap region, Acidalia and Chryse, with some contribution from the southern hemisphere (Argyre and Bosprous) northward. Thirdly, we divided the Chryse area into many square grids of 0.5° and computed the average occurrence probability of dust storm in each grid during EDL season. The dust storm activity probability in space was also in-homogeneous, low in the west and south but high in the east and north, which was mainly affected by three factors: topography, the origin and the path of dust storm sequence. Based on Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis, of the storms in the Chryse area we’ve discovered, 40.5% are cap-edge storms in the northern hemisphere and 17.5% are textured dust storms. Finally, according to the temporal and spatial probability of dust storm activity in the Chryse area during EDL season, we held that the preferred landing time of the Tianwen-1 mission in 2021 was in Ls=18°-65° and three preferred landing areas were selected with low dust storm probability.

scholarly journals Dust storm activity in Tianwen-1 mission’s tentative landing area (Chryse) ： MGS-MOC observations from Mars year 24-28

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Li ◽  
Peiwen Yao ◽  
Jiang Zhang ◽  
Zongyu Yue ◽  
Chenfan Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dust Storm ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Polar Ice ◽  
Storm Activity ◽  
Mars Atmosphere ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
Activity Frequency ◽  
Temporal And Spatial

Abstract Dust storms, observed in all seasons, are among the most momentous Mars atmosphere activities. The Entry-Descent-Landing (EDL) activity of a Martian landing mission is influenced by local atmospheric conditions, especially the dust storm activity probability. It is of great significance to know well the dust storm situation that China's first Mars mission (Tianwen-1) may encounter in EDL season in the Chryse landing area, one of the tentative landing areas. Firstly, based on four Martian years’ Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) Mars Daily Global Maps (MDGMs), 1172 dust storms were identified within Chryse’s 1600 km radius ring with their shape parameters extracted, including center, range and area. Secondly, the daily mean dust storm probability was calculated binned by 1° of solar longitude in the Chryse landing area during EDL season. Dust storm activity frequency was closely interrelated with the seasonal ebb and flow of the arctic polar ice cap, consequently, most of dust storms occurring in either the cap’s grow or the recession phase. The dust storm activity in the Chryse landing area mainly came from the northern polar cap region, Acidalia and Chryse, with some contribution from the southern hemisphere (Argyre and Bosporos) northward. Thirdly, we divided the Chryse landing area into many square grids of 0.5° and computed the average occurrence probability of dust storm in each grid during EDL season. The dust storm activity probability in space was also in-homogeneous, low in the west and south but high in the east and north, which was mainly affected by the origin and the path of dust storm sequence. Finally, according to the temporal and spatial probability of dust storm activity in the Chryse landing area during EDL season, we held that the preferred landing time of the Tianwen-1 mission in 2021 was in Ls=18°-65° and three preferred landing areas were selected with low dust storm probability.

scholarly journals Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Dust Storm Activity in Chryse Planitia Using MGS-MOC Observations from Mars Years 24–28

Universe ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 433
Author(s):  
Bo Li ◽  
Zongyu Yue ◽  
Shaojie Qu ◽  
Peiwen Yao ◽  
Xiaohui Fu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dust Storm ◽  
Temporal Analysis ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Storm Activity ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
The North ◽  
Outflow Channels ◽  
Average Probability ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Dust storms, observed in all seasons, are among the most momentous of Mars’ atmospheric activities. The Entry–Descent–Landing (EDL) activity of a Martian landing mission is influenced by local atmospheric conditions, especially the probability of dust storm activity. Chryse Planitia, featuring many of the largest and most prominent outflow channels and possible mud volcanoes, is an important target site for current and future Mars landing missions. It is of great significance to understand that a Mars landing probe may encounter a dust storm situation during EDL season in the Chryse Planitia. In this study, based on four Martian years, Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) Mars Daily Global Maps (MDGMs), 1172 dust storms were identified within Chryse’s 1600 km-radius ring. Secondly, the daily mean dust storm probability was calculated, binned by 1° of solar longitude in the Chryse landing area. The two active periods of dust storm activity are Ls = 177–239° and Ls = 288–4°, with an average daily mean dust storm probability of 9.5% and 4.1%. Dust storm activity frequency is closely interrelated with the seasonal ebb and flow of the north polar ice cap; consequently, most dust storms occur in either the cap’s growth or recession phase. We divided the Chryse landing area into square grids of 0.5° and computed the average probability of dust storm occurrence in each grid, which ranged from 0.19% to 2.42%, with an average of 1.22%. The dust storm activity probability in space was also inhomogeneous—low in the west and south but high in the east and north—which was mainly affected by the origin and the path of dust storm sequences. Based on empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis of storms in the Chryse area, 40.5% are cap-edge storms in the northern hemisphere. Finally, we concluded that the preferred time of a Mars landing mission is Ls = 18–65° in the Chryse Planitia, and three preferred landing areas were selected with low dust storm probability.

scholarly journals Ice-Breaking Fleets of the United States and Canada: Assessing the Current State of Affairs and Future Plans

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 703
Author(s):  
Megan Drewniak ◽  
Dimitrios Dalaklis ◽  
Anastasia Christodoulou ◽  
Rebecca Sheehan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Maritime Transportation ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Polar Ice ◽  
Northwest Passage ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
Ice Coverage ◽  
Current State ◽  
State Of Affairs

In recent years, a continuous decline of ice-coverage in the Arctic has been recorded, but these high latitudes are still dominated by earth’s polar ice cap. Therefore, safe and sustainable shipping operations in this still frozen region have as a precondition the availability of ice-breaking support. The analysis in hand provides an assessment of the United States’ and Canada’s polar ice-breaking program with the purpose of examining to what extent these countries’ relevant resources are able to meet the facilitated growth of industrial interests in the High North. This assessment will specifically focus on the maritime transportation sector along the Northwest Passage and consists of four main sections. The first provides a very brief description of the main Arctic passages. The second section specifically explores the current situation of the Northwest Passage, including the relevant navigational challenges, lack of infrastructure, available routes that may be used for transit, potential choke points, and current state of vessel activity along these routes. The third one examines the economic viability of the Northwest Passage compared to that of the Panama Canal; the fourth and final section is investigating the current and future capabilities of the United States’ and Canada’s ice-breaking fleet. Unfortunately, both countries were found to be lacking the necessary assets with ice-breaking capabilities and will need to accelerate their efforts in order to effectively respond to the growing needs of the Arctic. The total number of available ice-breaking assets is impacting negatively the level of support by the marine transportation system of both the United States and Canada; these two countries are facing the possibility to be unable to effectively meet the expected future needs because of the lengthy acquisition and production process required for new ice-breaking fleets.

Hydrogen escape from Mars is driven by seasonal and dust storm transport of water

Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 370 (6518) ◽  
pp. 824-831
Author(s):  
Shane W. Stone ◽  
Roger V. Yelle ◽  
Mehdi Benna ◽  
Daniel Y. Lo ◽  
Meredith K. Elrod ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dust Storm ◽  
Atomic Hydrogen ◽  
Molecular Hydrogen ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
Upper Atmosphere ◽  
Lower Atmosphere ◽  
Mars Atmosphere ◽  
Water Abundance ◽  
Neutral Gas ◽  
Standard Models

Mars has lost most of its once-abundant water to space, leaving the planet cold and dry. In standard models, molecular hydrogen produced from water in the lower atmosphere diffuses into the upper atmosphere where it is dissociated, producing atomic hydrogen, which is lost. Using observations from the Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer on the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft, we demonstrate that water is instead transported directly to the upper atmosphere, then dissociated by ions to produce atomic hydrogen. The water abundance in the upper atmosphere varied seasonally, peaking in southern summer, and surged during dust storms, including the 2018 global dust storm. We calculate that this transport of water dominates the present-day loss of atomic hydrogen to space and influenced the evolution of Mars’ climate.

scholarly journals An Observational Overview of Dusty Deep Convection in Martian Dust Storms

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (11) ◽  
pp. 3299-3326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas G. Heavens ◽  
David M. Kass ◽  
James H. Shirley ◽  
Sylvain Piqueux ◽  
Bruce A. Cantor
Keyword(s):  
Dust Storm ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Middle Atmosphere ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
High Surface ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
Radiative Heating ◽  
Storm Activity ◽  
Mesoscale Circulations ◽  
Convective Structures

Abstract Deep convection, as used in meteorology, refers to the rapid ascent of air parcels in Earth’s troposphere driven by the buoyancy generated by phase change in water. Deep convection undergirds some of Earth’s most important and violent weather phenomena and is responsible for many aspects of the observed distribution of energy, momentum, and constituents (particularly water) in Earth’s atmosphere. Deep convection driven by buoyancy generated by the radiative heating of atmospheric dust may be similarly important in the atmosphere of Mars but lacks a systematic description. Here we propose a comprehensive framework for this phenomenon of dusty deep convection (DDC) that is supported by energetic calculations and observations of the vertical dust distribution and exemplary dusty deep convective structures within local, regional, and global dust storm activity. In this framework, DDC is distinct from a spectrum of weaker dusty convective activity because DDC originates from preexisting or concurrently forming mesoscale circulations that generate high surface dust fluxes, oppose large-scale horizontal advective–diffusive processes, and are thus able to maintain higher dust concentrations than typically simulated. DDC takes two distinctive forms. Mesoscale circulations that form near Mars’s highest volcanoes in dust storms of all scales can transport dust to the base of the upper atmosphere in as little as 2 h. In the second distinctive form, mesoscale circulations at low elevations within regional and global dust storm activity generate freely convecting streamers of dust that are sheared into the middle atmosphere over the diurnal cycle.

scholarly journals Textured Dust Storm Activity in Northeast Amazonis–Southwest Arcadia, Mars: Phenomenology and Dynamical Interpretation

2017 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 1011-1037 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. G. Heavens
Keyword(s):  
Dust Storm ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
Limited Area ◽  
Mars Global Surveyor ◽  
Storm Activity ◽  
Structure And Dynamics ◽  
Local Dust ◽  
Visible Imagery ◽  
Meteorological Phenomenon

Abstract Dust storms are Mars’s most notable meteorological phenomenon, but many aspects of their structure and dynamics remain mysterious. The cloud-top appearance of dust storms in visible imagery varies on a continuum between diffuse/hazy and textured. Textured storms contain cellular structure and/or banding, which is thought to indicate active lifting within the storm. Some textured dust storms may contain the deep convection that generates the detached dust layers observed high in Mars’s atmosphere. This study focuses on textured local dust storms in a limited area within Northeast (NE) Amazonis and Southwest (SW) Arcadia Planitiae (25°–40°N, 155°–165°W) using collocated observations by instruments on board the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) satellites. In northern fall and winter, this area frequently experiences dust storms with a previously unreported ruffled texture that resembles wide, mixed-layer rolls in Earth’s atmosphere, a resemblance that is supported by high-resolution active sounding and passive radiometry in both the near- and thermal infrared. These storms are mostly confined within the atmospheric boundary layer and are rarely sources of detached dust layers. The climatology and structure of these storms are thus consistent with an underlying driver of cold-air-advection events related to the passage of strong baroclinic waves. While the properties of the studied region may be ideal for detecting these structures and processes, the dynamics here are likely relevant to dust storm activity elsewhere on Mars.

scholarly journals Application of HYSPLIT and WRF/Chem Models to Investigate the Dust Storm Episodes

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Parya Broomandi ◽  
Bahram Dabir ◽  
Babak Bonakdarpour ◽  
Yousef Rashidi
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Dust Storm ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Temporal And Spatial Distribution ◽  
Range Transport ◽  
In Situ Observations ◽  
Temporal And Spatial

Background: Long-range transport of dust aerosol has intense impacts on theatmospheric environment over wide areas. Methods: The annual and seasonal changes inmeteorological parameters associated with the occurrence of dust storms were studied. Thefeatures of an intense dust storm and its transport characteristics were studied during June 7thto June 9th 2010 in Ahvaz city. Temporal and spatial distribution of Middle Eastern dust stormevent was analyzed by models of HYSPLIT and WRF/Chem, and in- situ observations. Results:A disagreement between the occurrences of dust storms, temperature, relative humidity andrainfall, show the major source of dust storms over Ahvaz city are neighboring countries. UsingHYSPLIT results, the dust particles are mainly transported from north western region of Iraqand eastern Syria to downward areas including Ahvaz city. The arrived Dust aerosols mixedwith local anthropogenic emissions, led to the highest PM10 concentration of 4200 ppm. Themodel results were found to well reproduce temporal and spatial distribution of mineral dustconcentrations according to in-situ measurements. Conclusion: The performance of WRF/Chemwas acceptable for simulation of temporal and spatial distributions of dust storm events.Therefore, it can be taken as a reference in daily air quality forecasting.

Cyclogenesis and density currents in the Middle East and the associated dust activity in September 2015

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Francis ◽  
Noor AlShamsi ◽  
Juan Cuesta ◽  
Ayse Gokcen Isik ◽  
Cihan Dundar
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Dust Storm ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Arabian Gulf ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
Density Currents ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Blocking High ◽  
Subtropical Jet ◽  
Upper Level

<p>The first 10 days of September 2015 were marked by an intense dust activity over the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula. This study examines the atmospheric conditions at the origin of the large dust storms during this period. We particularly investigate the atmospheric dynamics leading to the development of a large dry cyclone over Iraq on 31 August 2015 which in turn generated an intense dust storm that affected most of the countries around the Arabian Gulf and lasted for 5 days. We found that the cyclone developed over Northwest Iraq as a transfer to low levels of a cut-off low which had formed two days earlier at upper levels over Turkey. Large dust loads exceeding 250 tons were emitted and moved southeast in a cyclonic shape toward the Arabian sea. The second large dust storm on 6-8 September 2015 occurred over Syria and affected all the coastal countries on the eastern side of the Mediterranean Sea. It was associated with the occurrence of a series of density currents over northeast Syria emanating from deep convection over the mountainous border between Syria and Turkey. The unusual development of deep convection over this area was associated with a blocking high and interaction with orography. Both the cut-off high and the cut-off low occurred during a period characterized by a meandering polar jet and an enhanced subtropical jet causing unstable weather over mid-latitudes which in turn led to highly polluted atmosphere by natural dust in the affected countries.<br>Keywords: Cut-off low; cut-off high; upper-level trough; density current; cyclone; evaporation cooling; desert areas; dust storms; polar jet; subtropical jet.</p>

scholarly journals Evaluation and Analysis of Dust Storm Activity in Tianwen-1 Landing Area Based on the Moderate Resolution Imaging Camera Observations and Mars Daily Global Maps

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Shaojie Qu ◽  
Bo Li ◽  
Jiang Zhang ◽  
Yi Wang ◽  
Chenfan Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dust Storm ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
Maximum Speed ◽  
Mars Rover ◽  
Storm Activity ◽  
Landing Zone ◽  
In Situ Investigation ◽  
Imaging Camera ◽  
Moderate Resolution ◽  
Resolution Imaging

The first Mars exploration mission from China (Tianwen-1) was launched on 23 July 2020 with the goal of “orbiting, landing, and roving”. The occurrence of dust storm activities is an important criterion of assessing atmospheric risk for the Tianwen-1 landing process. Dust storm activities from Mars Year (MY) 24 to MY32 in southern Utopia Planitia were identified. Most dust storms only appeared in one Mars Daily Global Map (MDGM), with a lifetime of less than or equal to solar longitude (Ls) = 0.5°. Only if the lifetime of a dust storm is greater than or equal to Ls = 1° can it reach the primary landing ellipse. From Ls = 0–50°, dust storms are mostly in the diffusion stage with a maximum speed of movement of 2479 km/Ls. Then, the speed gradually decreases to the minimum value of 368 km/Ls when the dust storm is in the dissipation stage. If a dust storm moves at an average speed of 750 km/Ls, the safe landing zone is a circle within a radius of 750 km centered on the primary landing ellipse. From March to May 2021, eight dust storms were identified in the Moderate Resolution Imaging Camera (MoRIC) mosaics. Because there was no dust storm activity in MoRIC mosaic on 13 May 2021, we concluded that there would be no dust storm in the primary landing ellipse on 15 May (MY36, Ls = 45.1°). Therefore, the landing time of the Tianwen-1 probe was finally determined as 15 May, which successfully landed in the south of the Utopia Planitia, and the in-situ investigation was carried out by the Zhurong Mars rover.

scholarly journals Cyclogenesis and Density Currents in the Middle East and the Associated Dust Activity in September 2015

Geosciences ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Francis ◽  
Noor Alshamsi ◽  
Juan Cuesta ◽  
Ayse Gokcen Isik ◽  
Cihan Dundar
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Dust Storm ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Arabian Gulf ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
Density Currents ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Blocking High ◽  
Polluted Atmosphere ◽  
Low Levels

The first 10 days of September 2015 were marked by intense dust activity over the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula. This study examines the atmospheric conditions at the origin of the large dust storms during this period. We particularly investigate the atmospheric dynamics leading to the development of a large dry cyclone over Iraq on 31 August 2015 which in turn generated an intense dust storm that affected most of the countries around the Arabian Gulf and lasted for 5 days. We found that the cyclone developed over Northwest Iraq as a transfer to low levels of a cut-off low which had formed two days earlier at upper levels over Turkey. Large dust loads exceeding 250 tons were emitted and moved southeast in a cyclonic shape toward the Arabian sea. The second large dust storm on 6-8 September 2015 occurred over Syria and affected all the coastal countries on the eastern side of the Mediterranean Sea. It was associated with the occurrence of a series of density currents over northeast Syria emanating from deep convection over the mountainous border between Syria and Turkey. The unusual development of deep convection over this area was associated with a blocking high and interaction with orography. Both the cut-off high and the cut-off low occurred during a period characterized by a meandering polar jet and an enhanced subtropical jet causing unstable weather over mid-latitudes which in turn led to highly polluted atmosphere by natural dust in the affected countries.

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