Dust Eruptions on Mars by Temperature Gradient Induced Forces

Details Dust Eruptions on Mars by Temperature Gradient Induced Forces Dust Eruptions on Mars by Temperature Gradient Induced Forces

Sep 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009dps....41.5705k&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #41, #57.05

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

Dust lifting processes on Mars are an active field of investigation. Explanations for dust phenomena even on high elevations on Mars have to be found. In general, wind stress is supposed to be the main lifting process but on average wind velocities are too low. We found, that temperature induced forces are capable of procuring dust ejections and even massive dust eruptions from a dust bed. A Mars soil simulant (JSC Mars 1A) was placed within a vacuum chamber which was evacuated to typical martian pressures of some mbar and particle ejections and eruptions were observed. Several different temperature gradient dependend lifting processes are at work. While e.g. photophoretic and thermophoretic forces only result in minor particle ejections, Knudsen Compressor effects cause continuous and major eruptions. These eruptions are even enhanced if a transition from illumination to no illumination occurs. We argue that the massive transition eruptions may be the dominant dust lifting process for e.g. dust devils. Moving dust devils, which are optically thick, induce a fast transition from light to shadow for the underlying dust bed. Even for lower initial radiation intensities, this will result in particle eruptions. As long as the wind eddy exists, dust devils on Mars may be self sustained even at low pressures or high altitudes. This work recieved support by the DFG and DAAD.

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