Scientists map Martian winds using 1,039 dust devils, revealing strong near-surface winds

Over the years, scientists have observed numerous dust devils on Mars. Rovers like the Perseverance rover have made this possible. But none of those rovers have ever tracked the motion of these tornado-like whirlwinds.

This new study — led by Valentin Bickel of the University of Bern in Switzerland — not only captured dust devils but also measured their speed and direction. The researchers created a map showing the location of 1,039 dust devils and revealing the direction of motion of 373 of them.

They discovered wind speeds of up to 158 kilometers per hour as they tracked how fast the dust devils traveled. Incredibly, that wind speed is much faster than what scientists have been able to measure with the rovers.

How Bickel and his team tracked the dust devils is also noteworthy. They used an unwanted feature of the ESA’s Mars Express and ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO).When viewing a moving object such as a dust devil, delays in the views of Mars Express and ExoMars TGO cause what the ESA refers to as “color offsets.” Bickel and his team used the color offsets to track the dust devils.

This study is helping improve scientists’ understanding of wind patterns across Mars. It could be useful when planning future missions to the Red Planet.