Orbital Observations of Dust Lofted by Daytime Convective Turbulence

Fenton, Lori; Reiss, Dennis; Lemmon, Mark; Marticorena, Béatrice; Lewis, Stephen and Cantor, Bruce (2017). Orbital Observations of Dust Lofted by Daytime Convective Turbulence. In: Reiss, D.; Lorenz, R.; Balme, M.; Neakrase, L.; Rossi, A. P.; Spiga, A. and Zarnecki, J. eds. Dust Devils. Space Sciences Series of ISSI, 59. Springer.

URL: https://www.springer.com/gb/book/9789402411331

Abstract

Over the past several decades, orbital observations of lofted dust have revealed the importance of mineral aerosols as a climate forcing mechanism on both Earth and Mars. Increasingly detailed and diverse data sets have provided an ever-improving understanding of dust sources, transport pathways, and sinks on both planets, but the role of dust in modulating atmospheric processes is complex and not always well understood. We present a review of orbital observations of entrained dust on Earth and Mars, particularly that produced by the dust-laden structures produced by daytime convective turbulence called “dust devils”. On Earth, dust devils are thought to contribute only a small fraction of the atmospheric dust budget; accordingly, there are not yet any published accounts of their occurrence from orbit. In contrast, dust devils on Mars are thought to account for several tens of percent of the planet’s atmospheric dust budget; the literature regarding martian dust devils is quite rich. Because terrestrial dust devils may temporarily contribute significantly to local dust loading and lowered air quality, we suggest that martian dust devil studies may inform future studies of convectively-lofted dust on Earth.

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About

  • Item ORO ID
  • 56890
  • Item Type
  • Book Section
  • ISBN
  • 94-024-1133-X, 978-94-024-1133-1
  • Project Funding Details
  • Funded Project NameProject IDFunding Body
    (Aurora Studentship) Martian Regional Dust Storms: Implications for Entry, Descent and LandingST/M00306X/1UK Space Agency (UKSA)
    Understanding Planet Mars With Advanced Remote-sensing Datasets and Synergistic studiesNot SetEC (European Commission): FP (inc.Horizon2020 & ERC schemes)
    Astronomy and Planetary Sciences at the Open UniversityST/L000776/1STFC (Science & Technology Facilities Council)
  • Extra Information
  • Originally published in Space Science Reviews, Volume 203, Issue 1-4, November 2016
  • Keywords
  • Atmospheric dust; Dust devil; Mars; Dust storm; Boundary layer
  • Academic Unit or School
  • Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) > Physical Sciences
    Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
  • Research Group
  • ?? space ??
  • Copyright Holders
  • © 2017 Springer
  • Depositing User
  • Stephen Lewis
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)

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