Speculation on Martian north polar wind circulation and the resultant orientations of polar sand dunes

• Main Authors: Ward, A. W., Doyle, K. B.
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: 1983
• Subjects: 91; North Pole
• Online Access: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19830065866

When seen at frost cap minimum, Martian north polar erg dunes north of 80 deg N record east winds, while those south of that latitude record west winds. Many of the transverse dunes are considered to be reversing dunes, and dunes in the two fields may have reversed at least once during the lifetime of the Viking Orbiters. It is proposed that the average polar winds are strong, off-pole northwest winds in the fall, moderate west winds in winter, latitude-dependent weak-to-strong off-pole northeast winds in spring, and weak west winds in summer, as has been largely confirmed by Viking images of near polar clouds. Over millenia, the combination of reversing west and east winds could produce the biomodal distributions of dune orientations observed at the north pole.