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Dust devils in thin air: Vortex observations at a high‐elevation Mars analog site in the Argentinian Puna
Author(s) -
Lorenz Ralph D.,
Radebaugh Jani
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2015gl067412
Subject(s) - mars exploration program , elevation (ballistics) , plateau (mathematics) , geology , surface pressure , desert (philosophy) , atmospheric pressure , vortex , atmospheric sciences , environmental science , climatology , meteorology , astrobiology , oceanography , geography , physics , astronomy , mathematics , philosophy , epistemology , mathematical analysis
Abstract We report in situ measurements and field observations of dust devils at ~3800–4200 m elevation in the Argentine desert plateau (Puna). These first quantitative data at elevations where the ambient atmospheric pressure is only ~600–700 mbar support the notion that large and strong dust devils may be systematically more common in low‐pressure conditions, although regional meteorology and/or surface thermophysical properties may also contribute.