Orbital Observations of Dust Lofted by Daytime Convective Turbulence

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.

As on Earth, martian dust devils form most commonly when the insolation reaches its daily and seasonal peak and where a source of loose dust is plentiful. However this pattern is modulated by variations in weather, albedo, or topography, which produce turbulence that can either enhance or suppress dust devil formation. For reasons not well understood, when measured from orbit, martian dust devil characteristics (dimensions, and translational and rotational speeds) are often much larger than those measured from the ground on both Earth and Mars. Studies connecting orbital observations to those from the surface are needed to bridge this gap in understanding. Martian dust devils have been used to remotely probe conditions in the PBL (e.g., CBL depth, wind velocity); the same could be done in remote locations on Earth. Finally, martian dust devils appear to play a major role in the dust cycle, waxing and waning in relative importance and spatial patterns of occurrence with the planet’s orbital state. Orbital studies of terrestrial dust devils would provide a basis for comparative planetology that would broaden the understanding of these dusty vortices on both planets.