Revelations of interannual dune evolution from the swiftest aeolian system on Mars by MRO/HiRISE long-term monitoring

Abstract

The north polar region of Mars, with its greater atmospheric pressure and vast inventory of ever-changing volatiles (e.g., CO2, H2O), hosts arguably the most active and diverse aeolian bedform systems on the planet. Here, we explore how these dune fields evolve spatiotemporally using up to 8 Mars years (16 Earth years) of MRO HiRISE observations to test the impact of various boundary conditions on annual mobility. A high degree of sand flux heterogeneity was observed for some dunes, whereas other sites displayed steady-state migration relative to long-term rates. These large changes in annual migration are attributed to the variable length of the frost-free seasons, sediment availability in relation to the timing of peak katabatic winds, and the influence of global dust storms on seasonal ice thickness. Consistent with our previous work, we continue to observe extremely high transport rates at Olympia Cavi. All stages of aeolian system evolution are observable (sand patch > protodune > dune), along with additional phenomena not previously observed outside of terrestrial settings (e.g., dune calving and collisions, remote transfer). Transitory protodunes may evolve from modest sand mounds to prominent barchans with slipfaces several meters tall within 3–5 Mars years, while adjacent duneforms may suffer slipfaces collapse as they lose sand supply. These Martian protodunes, which appear to be larger than terrestrial equivalents, and mature dunes found downwind are among the swiftest yet reported on Mars. These rapidly evolving cryo-aeolian systems provide a window into longer-term landscape evolution of non-polar dune fields.