\n Researchers compiled the new publicly available catalog by using images taken by the European Space Agency\u2019s Mars Express since 2004 and ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter since 2016.\n <\/p>\n
\n They trained a neural network, or machine learning modeled on the human brain, to spot the vortices in the orbital data, then checked each one to create a map of 1,039 dust devils across Mars, including examples atop ancient volcanoes and in open plains. The team was also able to determine the direction of motion for 373 of the rotating dust-filled wind columns.\n <\/p>\n
\n They determined that the Martian dust devils and their accompanying winds can move as rapidly as about 99 miles per hour (160 kilometers per hour), much faster than any dust devils ever clocked by rovers exploring the red planet\u2019s surface.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cThis observation implies that those winds are likely able to lift a substantial amount of dust from the surface into the atmosphere,\u201d Bickel wrote in an email. \u201cWe found a new puzzle piece that helps us to better understand the Martian dust cycle: where, when and how much dust is lifted off the surface and is injected into the atmosphere.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n Tracking the movement of dust on Mars is crucial for planning future robotic and human exploration of the red planet, experts say.\n <\/p>\n
![\"ExoMars](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/my36-017667-144-0-rgbwpan-browse-cover1-lowres.jpg\")
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\n Studying dust on Mars provides scientists with a way to model the planet\u2019s climate without actually being on the ground.\n <\/p>\n
\n On Earth, rain helps clear dust from the air. But on Mars, dust can linger in the atmosphere for much longer once it\u2019s lofted by wind, traveling across the entire planet.\n <\/p>\n
\n And once dust is in the atmosphere, it affects Mars\u2019 climate and weather. Dust prevents sunlight from reaching the surface, causing daytime temperatures to be cooler \u2014 and it insulates the planet to keep temperatures warmer at night.\n <\/p>\n
\n Now, based on the new research, scientists suspect dust devils may play a larger role in lofting dust into the Martian air than previously thought.\n <\/p>\n
\n Dust devils have long fascinated Bickel because they provide a window into the dynamics of Mars\u2019 atmosphere closest to the planet\u2019s surface \u2014 and they can be seen from orbit.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cI think it is incredible that we are able to observe and track moving whirlwinds of dust on a different planet,\u201d Bickel said. \u201cBy observing dust devils from orbit we can learn many things, such as wind speed and direction, which would otherwise be invisible.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n The team\u2019s analysis showed that while dust devils occurred across the planet, many were found in Amazonis Planitia, one of the smoothest plains on Mars that is covered with dust and sand.\n <\/p>\n
\n Dust devils form when hot air near the surface rises and spins, picking up dust along the way, Bickel said.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt appears that Amazonis Planitia offers the ideal conditions for dust devil formation, as it\u2019s a vast, very flat region that receives a lot of illumination during the summer,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n
\n The team also determined that dust devils have seasonality, with intense whirlwind activity taking place during the spring and summer months in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Typically, the vortices just last a few minutes and occur during daytime, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. local time \u2014 similar to dust devils that occur in arid, dusty places on Earth in the summer.\n <\/p>\n
\n Neither orbiter carries instruments that were designed to clock wind speeds on Mars. But Bickel and his team uncovered treasure within what might normally be thought of as a nuisance.\n <\/p>\n
\n Both orbiters create images by combining views from different channels that look at Mars in specific colors or directions. For example, Mars Express can create a single image from nine image channels, and there can be delays of between seven and 19 seconds from one channel to another.\n <\/p>\n
\n So if there is movement on Mars, like a dust devil, it produces noticeable \u201ccolor offsets\u201d in the final mosaic image \u2014 and a way to track the speed and motion of the dust devils.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt\u2019s great to see researchers using Mars Express and ExoMars (Trace Gas Orbiter) for totally unexpected research,\u201d said Colin Wilson, ESA project scientist for both orbiters, in a statement. He was not involved in the study. \u201cDust affects everything on Mars \u2014 from local weather conditions to how well we can take images from orbit. It\u2019s difficult to understate the importance of the dust cycle.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n Faster dust devils tend to travel in very straight lines, while slower dust devils wobble from left to right, Bickel said.\n <\/p>\n
\n Previous measurements of dust devils on Mars showed that they typically had a sustained speed below 31 miles per hour (50 kilometers per hour), with a rare maximum of 62 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour). But the latest data shows a much higher maximum for the dust devils as well as the winds surrounding them.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cThese strong, straight-line winds are very likely to bring a considerable amount of dust into the Martian atmosphere \u2014 much more than previously assumed,\u201d Bickel said. \u201cOur data show where and when the winds on Mars seem to be strong enough to lift dust from the surface.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n But Mars\u2019 atmosphere is more than 100 times thinner than Earth\u2019s, meaning that even strong winds would feel more like a breeze to us. Without a substantial atmosphere, wind lacks force \u2014 but on Mars, it\u2019s just enough to pick up dust.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cA dust devil would certainly not be able to kick you off your feet,\u201d Bickel said.\n <\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/my36-017977-189-0-rgbwpan-browse-site1.jpg\")
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Picking the perfect landing site<\/p>\n
\n Based on their compiled database, the researchers estimate that dust devils lifted between 2,200 and 55,000 tons and 1,000 and 25,000 tons of dust into the northern and southern hemispheres of the Martian atmosphere, respectively, between 2004 and 2024.\n <\/p>\n
\n The findings show that climate models for Mars have long underestimated the winds that drive the movement of sediment on the planet \u2014 information that is necessary to model past conditions on ancient Mars and determine how its surface has evolved over time, said Dr. Lori Fenton, senior research scientist in planetary science at the SETI Institute in California. Fenton was not involved in the new study.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cOn Mars, the mobilization of sand and dust is one of the most important drivers of surface modification (through sediment deposition and erosion) and climate change (through the ever-changing atmospheric dust load),\u201d Fenton wrote in an email.\n <\/p>\n
\n Dust also remains a primary concern for missions heading to Mars. Suspended Martian dust can lead to planet-encircling dust storms, a phenomenon which ended the Opportunity mission<\/a> in 2019. And a buildup of dust on the stationary lander InSight\u2019s solar panels put an end to that mission<\/a> in 2022.\n <\/p>\n \n Sometimes, dust devils can be helpful. By chance, the vortices helped clear dust from solar panels on the Spirit rover in 2009<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n Bickel said that new images from orbital data will continue to be added to the catalog so it can serve as a resource for future mission planning.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cOur measurements could help scientists build up an understanding of wind conditions at a landing site before touchdown, which could help them estimate how much dust might settle on a rover\u2019s solar panels \u2014 and therefore how often they should self-clean,\u201d Bickel said.\n <\/p>\n ![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/catalogue-map.jpg\")
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