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Mars - Clearing of the 1971 dust stormA semiquantitative analysis of clearing in the 1971 great dust storm on Mars is presented as a function of time and altitude, using Mariner 9 orange- and visual-light photos. Steady settling of dust approximately accounts for the decline of the storm after Dec. 22, 1971. Continuous settling cannot be invoked prior to that date; injection of dust into the atmosphere, i.e., a storm resurgence, occurred in mid-December 1971. Theoretical models of optical depth vs time are developed for various distributions of particles in the atmosphere. By interpreting settling in terms of Stokes' law, estimates of the maximum radii of dust particles throughout the atmosphere have been obtained. Models which best account for the dust-storm decline indicate particles less than 5 microns in diameter high in the atmosphere, with a concentration of larger particles near the ground in the lowest parts of Mars.
Document ID
19740041023
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Hartmann, W. K.
Price, M. J.
(Planetary Science Institute Tucson, Ariz., United States)
Date Acquired
August 7, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1974
Publication Information
Publication: Icarus
Volume: 21
Subject Category
Space Sciences
Accession Number
74A23773
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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