A new ‘Cloud Atlas’ from the German Aerospace Centre showcases 20 years of Martian atmospheric phenomena, enhancing our understanding of Mars’ climate and weather patterns.
Scientists from the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) in Berlin have created a new tool to explore the striking cloud formations above Mars. The Mars ‘Cloud Atlas’ is a browsable database containing 20 years’ worth of images of clouds and storms, offering fresh insights into the origins of these features in the Martian atmosphere and their implications for understanding the climate of Mars and other planets.
Diverse Martian Clouds and Phenomena
The images in the Cloud Atlas have been captured by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) instrument, which has been in orbit on board the European Space Agency (ESA) Mars Express spacecraft since 2005. Although Mars has a very thin atmosphere, numerous cloud formations and dust storm phenomena can develop from water and carbon dioxide ice crystals as well as dust particles.
“Clouds on Mars are just as diverse and fascinating as those we see in our skies on Earth, with some features unique to the Red Planet. One of my favorite phenomena is the beautiful ‘cloud streets’ – linear rows of fleecy clouds that develop around the huge volcanic Tharsis rise and the northern lowlands in northern spring and summer. While they resemble cumulus clouds on Earth, they are formed under different atmospheric conditions,” said Dr. Tirsch. “We also see impressive dust clouds that can spread hundreds of kilometers – a phenomenon we luckily don’t experience on Earth.”
Dust plays a major role in the atmosphere and climate of Mars. Rare upwelling events can leave beige, dust-laden blobs hanging in the atmosphere. Large differences in temperature and air pressure at certain seasons can result in stronger-than-usual winds that lift large amounts of dust from the Martian surface. Dust clouds spreading from the tops of giant volcanoes take on the appearance of eruption clouds, although they are no longer active.
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