HR: 0800h
AN: P11A-0252    [Abstracts]
TI: Dust storms originating in the northern hemisphere of Mars
AU: * WANG, H
EM: hwang@cfa.harvard.edu
AF: Smithsonia Astrophysical Observatory, MS50, 60 Garden St, cambridge, MA 02138,
AB: Data from the first three Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) mapping years (MY 24, 25 and 26) are used to investigate dust storms originating in the northern hemisphere. Flushing dust storms, which originate as frontal dust storms at the northern polar vortex edge and propagate southward through topographic channels, are observed immediately before and after a quiescent period that occurs around the northern winter solstice (between Ls 240 and Ls 300). Both the pre- and post-solstice active periods in the third year (MY 26) can be further divided into two sub-periods. The most vigorous of these flushing storms occurred during Ls 210-220 and Ls 310-320. The lifted dust crossed the equator and accumulated in the southern hemisphere. These major dust storms enhanced the Hadley circulation and suppressed the lower-level baroclinic eddies in the northern mid and high latitudes. The 2- 3 sol wave number m=3 traveling waves show the best correlation with flushing dust storms and can combine with other wave modes to produce storm tracks and fronts within individual sub-periods.
DE: 5405 Atmospheres (0343, 1060)
DE: 6225 Mars
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting