Mars and Earth have similar clouds

Observations by the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Mars Express probes and NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have shown that the planets Mars and Earth share similar cloud patterns, despite having different atmospheres. In a statement, Mars Express project scientist Colin Wilson said perhaps this similarity would have been met with less surprise if it had been observed in arid or polar environments, but it has not.

“It is quite unexpected that, by following the chaotic movement of dust storms, parallels can be drawn to processes occurring in the humid, hot, and decidedly very anti-Martian tropical regions of Earth,” Wilson said.

To further the research, the scientists analyzed two dust storms that occurred near the Martian north pole in the spring of 2019. The images obtained showed the storms grow and then disappear in a cycle that has common characteristics and shapes, such as spirals of lengths between approximately 1,000 to 2,000 kilometres. Apparently, these spirals appear to form in the same way as extratropical cyclones seen in mid-latitudes and polar latitudes on Earth.

Another point revealed in images of dust storms on Mars is that they are composed of smaller cloud cells, forming a pattern similar to a garden path seen in the clouds above the Earth. These patterns are created through the interaction of hot air with cold air, during the phenomenon known as “closed cell convection”.

Mars and Earth aren’t the only ones forming similar clouds

The movement of the dust cells allowed the scientists to measure the speed of the Martian wind, which reached 140 km/h, close to the speed reached by Storm Fiona. Interestingly, Mars and Earth aren’t the only places in the Solar System where this convection is seen; ESA’s Venus Express probe has also detected similar patterns in the clouds on the second planet after the Sun.

The lead author of the study, Agustín Sánchez-Levaga, said that “the dry convection work on Mars is yet another example of the value of comparative studies of similar phenomena occurring in planetary atmospheres, which arise to better understand the mechanisms underlying. under different conditions and environments.

Understanding clouds provides a better understanding of the dynamics of the Martian atmosphere. In addition, this information obtained can serve as an aid for future missions to the red planet. Predicting the evolution of such dust storms could protect missions and help future astronauts on Mars cope with dust storms.

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Source: Olhar Digital