{"id":349,"date":"2020-02-05T12:14:14","date_gmt":"2020-02-05T11:14:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mars.uj.edu.pl\/?page_id=349"},"modified":"2020-06-05T10:24:01","modified_gmt":"2020-06-05T08:24:01","slug":"study-of-aeolian-transport-in-the-equatorial-regions-of-mars","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mars.uj.edu.pl\/index.php\/scientific-activities\/study-of-aeolian-transport-in-the-equatorial-regions-of-mars\/","title":{"rendered":"Study of aeolian transport in the equatorial regions of Mars"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\nProject\nrealized by:<\/strong>\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jagiellonian University (Faculties: FAIS and GIG)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nAim of\nthe project:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Determining conditions necessary for aeolian transport initiation, termination, and establishing transport direction and transport rates in equatorial regions of Mars. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nDescription\nof the project<\/strong>:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During exploration of the Solar System, astronomers have found that the surfaces of many objects in our vicinity are shaped by wind. Bedforms related with deposition of sediments, like dunes or wind streaks, so common on our planet, were identified on Mars, Venus, Titan, Pluto, and even 67P\/Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even after many years that passed since the work of Bagnold: The Physics of Blown Sand and Desert Dunes<\/em> published in 1941 some fundamental issues related to granular sediment transport, e.g. dynamical mechanisms responsible for initiating and limiting transport in fluids are still not fully understood. The Martian missions give us an opportunity to study these processes in a totally different environment, and such comparison studies allow for broader perspective on investigating the physics of sediment transport and perhaps finding answers to the most important questions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this project, we focus on sediments composed of gravel, sand and dust, and studying small bedforms, as they usually evolve much faster than larger forms; they are much easier to simulate, and their evolution under different wind conditions is still not well understood. We investigate Mars equatorial regions, as due to higher insolation and temperatures, they are the most important areas for future Mars exploration. The project will be based on data gathered by Martian orbiters and collected by rovers and landers of recently completed and ongoing missions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To\ninvestigate aeolian transport on Mars, we conduct experiments in the\nwind tunnel and numerical simulations. We also carry out field\nstudies of Martian analogues, that is, forms, sediments and phenomena\nsimilar to those observed on Mars, to investigate factors influencing\naeolian transport in the natural environment. The analysis of images\ntaken during Mars missions from orbiters and rovers allows\ndetermining the spatial distribution and physical properties of the\nforms and sediments found on Mars. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nProject\nmethodology: <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n