Search Publications
OpenMARS: A global record of martian weather from 1999 to 2015
Holmes, James A.; Lewis, Stephen R.; Patel, Manish R.
The Open access to Mars Assimilated Remote Soundings (OpenMARS) dataset is a reanalysis product combining past spacecraft observations with a Mars Global Circulation Model (GCM). The OpenMARS product is a global surface/atmosphere reference database of surface and atmospheric properties for almost nine Mars years that can be used by Mars scientist…
The Holy Grail: A road map for unlocking the climate record stored within Mars' polar layered deposits
Horgan, Briony; Byrne, Shane; Zacny, Kris +35 more
In its polar layered deposits (PLD), Mars possesses a record of its recent climate, analogous to terrestrial ice sheets containing climate records on Earth. Each PLD is greater than 2 km thick and contains thousands of layers, each containing information on the climatic and atmospheric state during its deposition, creating a climate archive. With …
3D digital outcrop model reconstruction of the Kimberley outcrop (Gale crater, Mars) and its integration into Virtual Reality for simulated geological analysis
Le Mouélic, Stéphane; Mangold, Nicolas; Le Deit, Laetitia +3 more
Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry has recently become a cheap and efficient method to reconstruct accurate and highly-resolved 3D Digital Outcrop Model (DOM) from a single set of images. This enables the 3D visualization of hardly accessible and/or remote geological scenes, which is of strong interest for planetary bodies. This paper focuses on…
Layered mound, inverted channels and polygonal fractures from the Makgadikgadi pan (Botswana): Possible analogues for Martian aqueous morphologies
Franchi, Fulvio; MacKay, Ruaraidh; Selepeng, Ame Thato +1 more
Layered mounds and inverted channels with polygonal fractures from the Ntwetwe Pan in the Makgadikgadi Basin (central Botswana) have been herein investigated. These morphologies are from an evaporitic basin (the Makgadikgadi Basin) that is the remnant of an ancient Pleistocene lake and is currently part of the world's largest evaporitic system.
Variability of spider spatial configuration at the Martian south pole
Jaumann, R.; Hauber, E.; Portyankina, G. +5 more
Araneiform terrain, or "spider" (spider-like surface modifications) is suggested to form through basal sublimation of seasonal translucent CO2 slab ice and subsequent gas jetting, and so far only known to occur at the Martian south pole. Their spatial configuration characteristics remain incompletely understood. We observed non-random s…
Automated detection of block falls in the north polar region of Mars
Oberst, J.; Hauber, E.; Gwinner, K. +1 more
We developed a change detection method for the identification of ice block falls using NASA's HiRISE images of the north polar scarps on Mars. Our method is based on a Support Vector Machine (SVM), trained using Histograms of Oriented Gradients (HOG), and blob detection. The SVM detects potential new blocks between a set of images; the blob detect…
Mapping and spatial statistical analysis of Mars Yardangs
Di, Kaichang; Liu, Bin; Liu, Jia +4 more
Mars yardang fields were mapped using the newly available high-resolution Context Camera (CTX) mosaics (30°N to 30°S) through visual interpretation and manual digitization. We classified the Martian yardangs into three types according to their shapes: long ridge, inverted hull and curvilinear shapes, and found that the number of long ridge yardang…
A new method for determining the total electron content in Mars' ionosphere based on Mars Express MARSIS data
Witasse, Olivier; Sánchez-Cano, Beatriz; Kofman, Wlodek +5 more
We present a new method for determining the total electron content (TEC) in the Martian ionosphere based on the time delay of received radar pulses of the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS) on board the Mars Express spacecraft. Previous studies of the same dataset have produced differing results for the day-side i…
Basaltic fissure types on Earth: Suitable analogs to evaluate the origins of volcanic terrains on the Moon and Mars?
Kobs Nawotniak, Shannon E.; Hughes, Scott S.; Elphic, Richard C. +6 more
Basaltic eruptive fissures of the Great Rift and surroundings on the eastern Snake River Plain of Idaho, USA, and selected volcanic features in Hawai'i, Iceland and northern Africa were surveyed for their relevancy as planetary analogs. Evaluated during field investigations and in satellite imagery for structures, physiography, and geologic settin…
Frontal Aureole Deposit on Acheron Fossae ridge as evidence for landslide-generated tsunami on Mars
De Blasio, Fabio Vittorio
The recurrent failures of the 8 to 10-km high basal scarp of the Olympus Mons volcano on Mars has resulted in enormous landslides merging into a composite deposit known as the aureole. The largest of these landslides, the western (W) aureole, appears as a hummocky and extensive tongue reaching the distance of 700 km from the present Olympus Mons e…