Mars Experiences Dust Storm: UAE Spacecraft Records Substantial Dust Activity

Many might be surprised to learn that Mars, known for its distinct red color, possesses an atmosphere where storms occur quite frequently. Despite its significantly thinner atmosphere compared to Earth’s, these Martian storms can have noticeable impacts on the planet’s surface.

The United Arab Emirates’ Mars mission, through its Hope Mission, has made a significant discovery in this regard. It observed that even with its thin atmosphere, Martian storms can create discernible changes on the surface, visible from the planet’s orbit. The Hope probe, orbiting Mars, detected variations in the thickness of the dust layers covering the Martian terrain.

A study published a few months ago in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets detailed these findings. It described how the Hope probe’s infrared spectrometer identified changes in the dust cover’s thickness across various Martian regions, following a storm in 2022.

Recently, the Hope Mission shared an animation highlighting this phenomenon. The researchers noted that the dust storm affected all regions of interest, with some areas experiencing a net removal of dust as thick as 340 micrometres. This led to detectable shifts in surface temperatures from orbit. Conversely, some regions saw a net deposition of dust, accumulating up to 120 micrometres.

The team also utilized visible-wavelength imagery from the Emirates Exploration Imager, which is particularly adept at detecting changes in surface dust distribution, to supplement their analysis. Their findings suggest that Mars’s dust reservoirs can transport large amounts of dust rapidly, significantly altering the planet’s surface.