Wind systems and dune formation in Gale Crater, Mars

火星盖尔陨石坑的风系统和沙丘形成

• 批准号: 403438892
• 负责人: Dr. Eric Josef Ribeiro Parteli
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Forschungsgruppe Theoretische Physik
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2017-12-31 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/403438892?language=en
• 关键词: Wind; systems; dune; formation; Gale

The aim of this project is to model the morphodynamics of the dune systems in Gale Crater, Mars. The quantitative understanding of the genesis and dynamics of Mars dunes - which occur mainly in the interior of craters - has implications to correctly reconstruct the geologic history of Mars and the evolution of the climate on the red planet. However, intra-crater dune processes on Mars are mainly controlled by topographic effects on local transport conditions, which cannot be resolved in Mars Circulation Models. To quantitatively describe such effects, in the present project a morphodynamic dune model, which accurately describes the shape and dynamics of terrestrial dunes, will be extended to incorporate the digital elevation model of the Martian surface into the calculation of the turbulent surface wind field and the concatenated sand flux. Based on numerical predictions of local wind directions and dune morphology, the sand roses of the different dune fields in Gale Crater will be calculated. Moreover, these results will be used to investigate the stability of the different dune morphologies in Gale Crater dune fields. Thereafter, the model will be applied to investigate the sources of dune sand in Gale Crater. The model will contribute to the investigation of regional wind regimes and the origins of aeolian sediments on Mars.

该项目的目的是模拟火星盖尔环形山沙丘系统的形态动力学。对火星沙丘（主要发生在陨石坑内部）的成因和动态的定量理解，对正确重建火星的地质历史和红色星球上的气候演变具有重要意义。然而，在火星上的火山口内沙丘的过程主要是由地形对当地的运输条件，这是不能解决的火星环流模式的影响。为了定量地描述这种影响，在本项目中，一个精确描述陆地沙丘的形状和动态的地貌动力学沙丘模型将得到扩展，以便将火星表面的数字高程模型纳入湍流表面风场和级联沙通量的计算中。根据当地风向和沙丘形态的数值预测，将计算盖尔陨石坑不同沙丘场的沙玫瑰花。此外，这些结果将被用来调查不同的沙丘形态在大风火山口沙丘领域的稳定性。此后，该模型将用于调查盖尔陨石坑沙丘砂的来源。该模型将有助于研究区域风况和火星上风成沉积物的起源。