Dust devils are low-pressure, small (many to tens of meters) convective vortices powered by surface heating and rendered visible by lofted dust. Dust devils occur ubiquitously on Mars, where they may dominate the supply of atmospheric dust, and since dust contributes significantly to Mars’ atmospheric heat budget, dust devils probably play an important role in its climate. Analog studies of terrestrial devils have provided some insights into dust devil dynamics and properties but have been limited to near-surface (few meters) or relatively high altitude (hundreds of meters) sampling. Automated aerial vehicles or drones, combined with miniature, digital instrumentation, promise a novel and uniquely powerful platform from which to sample dust devils at a wide variety of altitudes. During summer 2017, our group conducted a pilot study using an instrumented quadcopter on an active field site in southeastern Oregon to probe active dust devils. The video above shows one encounter from the perspective of the drone.
- Jackson et al. (2018) “Using an Instrumented Drone to Probe Dust Devils on Oregon’s Alvord Desert.” Remote Sensing.
- Jackson et al. (2017) Presentation at Division of Planetary Sciences Conference
- Videos of dust devil encounters —
- Flight 0 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goSsQD-mnYc
- Flight 1 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj7wua4GQyc
- Flight 2 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VtcSrBjflY