Global Surface Winds and Aeolian Sediment Pathways on Mars from the
Morphology of Barchan Dunes
Abstract
In the absence of consistent meteorological data on Mars, the morphology
of dunes can be employed to study its atmosphere. Specifically, barchan
dunes, which form under approximately unimodal winds, are reliable
proxies for the dominant wind direction. Here, we characterize
near-surface winds on Mars from the morphology of >106
barchans mapped globally on the planet by a convolutional neural
network. Barchan migration is predominantly aligned with the global
circulation: northerly at mid-latitudes and cyclonic near the north
pole, with the addition of an anti-cyclonic north-polar component that
likely originates from winds emerging from the ice cap. Locally,
migration directions deviate from regional trends in areas with high
topographic roughness. Notably, obstacles <100 km such as
impact craters are efficient at deflecting surface winds. Our database,
which provides insights into planetary-scale aeolian processes on
modern-day Mars, can be used to constrain global circulation models to
assist with predictions for future missions.