Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Dec 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006agufm.p31b0125m&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2006, abstract #P31B-0125
Mathematics
Logic
3322 Land/Atmosphere Interactions (1218, 1631, 1843), 5210 Planetary Atmospheres, Clouds, And Hazes (0343), 5499 General Or Miscellaneous, 6213 Dust
Scientific paper
A synthesis of terrestrial and Martian data suggests that a convective vortex, or "dust devil," is a significant, non-random terrestrial eolian sediment transport phenomenon, which has implications for sediment-based migration of radionuclides on Frenchman Flat playa, a 20 square-mile mountain-bounded dry lake bed approximately centered in Frenchman Flat on the Nevada Test Site (NTS). Planetary scientists are often forced to rely on terrestrial analogues to begin characterizing extraterrestrial processes. However, as the planetary database matures, an increasing number of well-characterized extraterrestrial analogues for terrestrial processes will become available. Such analogues may provide a convenient means to investigate poorly understood or otherwise inaccessible terrestrial phenomena. Historical atmospheric nuclear experiments conducted from 1951 to 1962 deposited radionuclides into surface sediments across parts of Frenchman Flat playa, where dust devils are known to commonly occur, especially during the summer months. Recent information from both terrestrial and Martian studies yields that dust devils can be significant contributors to both the local eolian sediment transport regime and the regional climate system. Additionally, the use of terrestrial desert environments as Martian analogues, as well as the recent, unique discovery of Mars-like dust devil tracks in Africa, has established a working correlation between Earth, Mars, and the dust devil phenomenon. However, while the difficulty in tracking dust devil paths on Earth has hindered the determination of any net sediment transport due to dust devils, the dramatic albedo contrast in disturbed sediment on Mars lends to the formation of persistent, curvilinear dust devil tracks. These tracks illustrate that in zones of preferential formation, dust devils possess non-random orientations over seasonal timescales with respect to prevailing wind. By calibrating these Martian orientations with meteorological data from the NTS, and combining them with measurements of sediment loading and erosive strength in terrestrial dust devils, it is possible to both illustrate the potential significance of dust devils to currently-accepted radionuclide residence time on Frenchman Flat playa, as well as predict areas of unexpected radionuclide migration and/or attenuation due to dust devil activity.
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