Scientists Track Mysterious ‘Dust Devils’ Racing Across Mars — What They Found Will Blow You Away!

For decades, scientists have peered at Mars through telescopes and spacecraft, searching for traces of water, signs of life, and clues to its mysterious past. But now, their attention has turned to something far more dynamic — the planet’s restless atmosphere.

Scientists have been able to track the whirlwinds known as “dust devils” that frequently pirouette across the surface of Mars thanks to two orbiting spacecraft’s observations over the past 20 years. This has allowed them to gain a better understanding of the planet’s climate and weather, including wind speeds that were previously unknown.

Researchers identified 1,039 of these whirlwinds, which lift dust into the Martian atmosphere, using data from the European Space Agency’s Mars Express and ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter spacecraft. They found that the wind speeds in these whirlwinds can reach up to 98 miles per hour (158 kph).

Valentin Bickel, a planetary scientist of the University of Bern in Switzerland and the lead author of the study published on Wednesday, October 8, in the journal Science Advances, said, “The key findings of this study are that winds on Mars can be faster across the surface than previously thought, and that these fast winds are more widespread than previously thought.”

Although the dust devils were also found to occur in the rugged terrain of the southern highlands, they were found to develop more frequently in the flat plains of the northern lowlands. Certain areas were particularly vulnerable, such as Amazonis Planitia, one of Mars’ smoothest plains and located between the two main volcanic regions.

The average dust devil measured about 270 feet (82 meters) across, but the largest one ever measured about 1,900 feet (580 meters) across. The researchers pointed out that their approach was probably going to miss a lot of slower dust devils, but the average wind speed was roughly 40 miles per hour (64 kph).

The study measured the fastest surface-level winds ever recorded for Mars, according to Bickel. The Martian atmosphere is much thinner than Earth’s, so even though these speeds give the impression that these winds would feel strong, that is not actually the case.

“You would barely feel Martian winds,” Bickel said.

Warmer air near the surface begins to rise and is whirled by horizontal winds to form dust devils, which eventually gather dust from the ground before typically dissipating a few minutes later. They were most frequently seen in the late morning to early afternoon hours of the Martian summer, when the weather was particularly favorable.

Because our planet is so much wetter than Mars, dust devils are much less common on Earth, though they do exist in arid, dusty areas like the deserts of the US states of Arizona and Nevada.

“Since the Martian atmosphere is so thin and the surface dry and dusty, it can heat up rapidly under the sun, making it more prone to dust devils,” said study co-author Antonia Schriever, a planetary scientist at the German Aerospace Center.

For many years, scientists have been aware that dust devils exist on Mars. However, the recent study, which used data from ExoMars TGO beginning in 2016 and Mars Express beginning in 2004, is the most thorough analysis of them to date.

Strong near-surface winds are common on Mars and contribute significantly to the introduction of dust into the atmosphere, according to the study. These findings could help develop more precise models of the planet’s weather, climate, and atmosphere.

According to Schriever, the amount of dust that is lifted into the Martian atmosphere is essential for the formation of clouds, the start of dust storms, and even the release of water vapor into space.

“By studying dust devils that make wind – which is usually invisible for us – visible in images of Mars we can better understand the processes that occur on the Martian surface,” Schriever said.

Due to winds blowing around the planet, dust remains in the Martian atmosphere for a very long time. Dust is routinely removed from the atmosphere on Earth by rain and humidity. By blocking out sunlight, the dust suspended in the Martian atmosphere can lower daytime temperatures while trapping warmth close to the surface to raise nighttime temperatures.

Future missions that explore the Martian surface may benefit from the research.

“For example, our data could be used to better understand the atmospheric dynamics for specific landing sites, prior to the landing and even the launch of the spacecraft. Our data can provide a first estimate of the abundance of dust devils as well as the distribution of wind speeds and directions in a specific region,” Bickel concluded.

According to Bickel, the results could also be used to predict whether rovers and landers will encounter helpful winds that clear dust buildup on the solar panels that power them.