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 ◽  
...  

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.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Li ◽  
Jiang Zhang ◽  
Zongyu Yue ◽  
Peiwen Yao ◽  
Chenfan Li ◽  
...  

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.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Li ◽  
Peiwen Yao ◽  
Jiang Zhang ◽  
Zongyu Yue ◽  
Chenfan Li ◽  
...  

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.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Lome-Hurtado ◽  
Jacques Lartigue-Mendoza ◽  
Juan C. Trujillo

Abstract Background Globally, child mortality rate has remained high over the years, but the figure can be reduced through proper implementation of spatially-targeted public health policies. Due to its alarming rate in comparison to North American standards, child mortality is particularly a health concern in Mexico. Despite this fact, there remains a dearth of studies that address its spatio-temporal identification in the country. The aims of this study are i) to model the evolution of child mortality risk at the municipality level in Greater Mexico City, (ii) to identify municipalities with high, medium, and low risk over time, and (iii) using municipality trends, to ascertain potential high-risk municipalities. Methods In order to control for the space-time patterns of data, the study performs a Bayesian spatio-temporal analysis. This methodology permits the modelling of the geographical variation of child mortality risk across municipalities, within the studied time span. Results The analysis shows that most of the high-risk municipalities were in the east, along with a few in the north and west areas of Greater Mexico City. In some of them, it is possible to distinguish an increasing trend in child mortality risk. The outcomes highlight municipalities currently presenting a medium risk but liable to become high risk, given their trend, after the studied period. Finally, the likelihood of child mortality risk illustrates an overall decreasing tendency throughout the 7-year studied period. Conclusions The identification of high-risk municipalities and risk trends may provide a useful input for policymakers seeking to reduce the incidence of child mortality. The results provide evidence that supports the use of geographical targeting in policy interventions.


2012 ◽  
Vol 279 (1745) ◽  
pp. 4206-4214 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Maas ◽  
D. F. Keet ◽  
V. P. M. G. Rutten ◽  
J. A. P. Heesterbeek ◽  
M. Nielen

Bovine tuberculosis (BTB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis , is a disease that was introduced relatively recently into the Kruger National Park (KNP) lion population. Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV ple ) is thought to have been endemic in lions for a much longer time. In humans, co-infection between Mycobacterium tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus increases disease burden. If BTB were to reach high levels of prevalence in lions, and if similar worsening effects would exist between FIV ple and BTB as for their human equivalents, this could pose a lion conservation problem. We collected data on lions in KNP from 1993 to 2008 for spatio-temporal analysis of both FIV ple and BTB, and to assess whether a similar relationship between the two diseases exists in lions. We found that BTB prevalence in the south was higher than in the north (72 versus 19% over the total study period) and increased over time in the northern part of the KNP (0–41%). No significant spatio-temporal differences were seen for FIV ple in the study period, in agreement with the presumed endemic state of the infection. Both infections affected haematology and blood chemistry values, FIV ple in a more pronounced way than BTB. The effect of co-infection on these values, however, was always less than additive. Though a large proportion (31%) of the lions was co-infected with FIV ple and M. bovis , there was no evidence for a synergistic relation as in their human counterparts. Whether this results from different immunopathogeneses remains to be determined.


2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (11) ◽  
pp. 3299-3326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas G. Heavens ◽  
David M. Kass ◽  
James H. Shirley ◽  
Sylvain Piqueux ◽  
Bruce A. Cantor

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.


2017 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 1011-1037 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. G. Heavens

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.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Lome-Hurtado ◽  
Jacques Lartigue Mendoza ◽  
Juan Carlos Trujillo

Abstract Background: The number of death children at the international scale are still high, but with proper spatially-targeted health public policies this number could be reduced. In Mexico, children mortality is a particular health concern due to its alarming rate all throughout North America. The aims of this study are i) to model the change of children mortality risk at the municipality level, (ii) to identify municipalities with high, medium and low risk over time and (iii) to ascertain potential high-risk municipalities across time, using local trends of each municipality in Greater Mexico City. Methods: The study uses Bayesian spatio-temporal analysis to control for space-time patterns of data. This allow to model the geographical variation of the municipalities within the time span studied. Results: The analysis shows that most of the high-risk municipalities are in the north, west, and some in the east; some of such municipalities show an increasing children mortality risk over time. The outcomes highlight some municipalities which show a medium risk currently but are likely to become high risk along the study period. Finally, the odds of children mortality risk illustrate a decreasing tendency over the 7-year framework. Conclusions: Identification of high-risk municipalities may provide a useful input to policy-makers seeking out to reduce the incidence of children mortality, since it would provide evidence to support geographical targeting for policy interventions.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suad Al-Manji ◽  
Gordon Mitchell ◽  
Amna Al Ruheili

Tropical cyclones [TCs] are a common natural hazard that have significantly impacted Oman. Over the period 1881–2019, 41 TC systems made landfall in Oman, each associated with extreme winds, storm surges and significant flash floods, often resulting in loss of life and substantial damage to infrastructure. TCs affect Omani coastal areas from Muscat in the north to Salalah in the south. However, developing a better understanding of the high-risk regions is needed, and is of particular interest in disaster risk reduction institutions in Oman. This study aims to find and map TC tracks and their spatio-temporal distribution to landfall in Oman to identify the high-risk areas. The analysis uses Kernel Density Estimation [KDE] and Linear Direction Mean [LDM] methods to better identify the spatio-temporal distribution of TC tracks and their landfall in Oman. The study reveals clear seasonal and monthly patterns. This knowledge will help to improve disaster planning for the high-risk areas.


Author(s):  
Michael Ward ◽  
Ellen Mighell

African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) is a highly contagious pathogen causing disease in pigs, commonly characterised by acute haemorrhagic fever. Prior to August 2018, African Swine Fever (ASF) had not been reported in Asia, but has since spread throughout China, Mongolia, Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea. Using data collated from reports of confirmed cases, we applied spatio-temporal analysis to describe ASFV spread throughout Asia, from 1 August 2018 (reported start date) to 31 December 2019. Analysis revealed a propagating epidemic of ASFV throughout Asia, with peaks corresponding to increased reports from China, Vietnam and Laos. Two clusters of reported outbreaks were found. During the epidemic, ASFV primarily spread from the North-East to the South-East: a larger, secondary cluster in the North-East represented earlier reports, whilst the smaller, primary cluster in the South-East was characterised by later reports. Significant differences in country-specific epidemics, morbidity, mortality and unit types were discovered, likely attributable to differences in prevention, surveillance and control measures. The initial number of outbreaks and enterprise size are likely predictors of the speed of spread and the effectiveness of ASFV stamping out procedures. Biosecurity methods, wild boar populations and the transportation of pigs and movement of infected fomites are discussed as likely risk factors for facilitating ASFV spread across Asia.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document