## Breadcrumb

-  Astrogeology Science Center 
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#           Surface - Atmosphere interaction                    Active

      By Astrogeology Science Center      October 5, 2022    

                  -              Overview           
                  -              Data           
                  -              Publications           

The USGS Astrogeology Science Center conducts research on the interaction between planetary surfaces and the overlying atmospheres. In particular, the transfer of momentum (from wind), vapor (evaporation/sublimation), liquid (rainfall, percolation, infiltration) and solids (snow) occurs between surfaces and atmospheres. 

### Dunes and Ripples

One topic in particular that we focus on is the transport of sand and dust by wind. Flagstaff, AZ has numerous dunefields nearby, which  we study via the Astrogeology Science Center Terrestrial Analogs Program. We are also interested in subaqueous dunes and ripples, as they may be analogs to bedforms under thicker atmospheres, such as those on Titan and Venus.

### Terrestrial Analogs

                                  - USGS Astrogeology TARGET Program

### Study Area

### Contacts

#### Kaj Williams, Ph.D.

##### Research Physical Scientist

Astrogeology Science Center

kewilliams@usgs.gov

#### Timothy Neal Titus, Ph.D.

##### Research Space Scientist

Astrogeology Science Center

ttitus@usgs.gov

928-556-7201

#### Amber Gullikson

##### Geologist

Astrogeology Science Center

agullikson@usgs.gov

#### Lauren Edgar, Ph.D.

##### Research Geologist

Astrogeology Science Center

ledgar@usgs.gov

### Explore Search

                            - Analogs
                            - Earth
                            - Geomorphology
                            - Mars
                            - Modeling
                            - Research
                            - Atmospheres
                            - Dunes
                            - Dust
                            - Hydrology
                            - Ice
                            - Regolith
                            - Snow
                            - Water
                            - Weathering
                            - Climate
                            - Ecosystems
                            - Planetary Science
                            - Water
                            - atmospheric and climatic processes
                            - Grand Falls Dune site
                            - aeolian dust

View All **

October 10, 2021

####                 Imagery, soil temperature and humidity profiles, and meteorological data from December 2020 to April 2021, Grand Falls Dune Field, Arizona              

Astrogeology Science Center

October 15, 2020

####                 Grand Falls, Arizona: Dune Field Sand Transport 2017 - 2019              

Astrogeology Science Center

October 15, 2020

####                 Grand Falls, Arizona: Dune Field Sand Transport 2013 - 2016              

Astrogeology Science Center

April 11, 2022

####                 Planetary Aeolian landforms: An introduction to the Fifth Planetary Dunes Workshop Special Issue              

Natural Hazards Mission Area, Astrogeology Science Center

April 30, 2021

####                 Aeolian processes and landforms across the Solar System: Science and technology requirements for the next decade              

Natural Hazards Mission Area, Astrogeology Science Center

April 30, 2021

####                 A critical gap: In situ measurements of surface-atmosphere interactions from outside earth              

Natural Hazards Mission Area, Astrogeology Science Center

August 7, 2020

####                 Ancient Martian aeolian sand dune deposits recorded in the stratigraphy of Valles Marineris and implications for past climates              

Natural Hazards Mission Area, Astrogeology Science Center

January 1, 2005

####                 Aeolian processes at the Mars Exploration Rover Meridiani Planum landing site              

Natural Hazards Mission Area, Astrogeology Science Center

January 1, 2003

####                 Aeolian processes in Proctor Crater on Mars: Sedimentary history as analyzed from multiple data sets              

January 1, 2000

####                 TES observations of the martian surface and atmosphere              

January 1, 1999

####                 Aeolian features and processes at the Mars Pathfinder landing site              

Natural Hazards Mission Area, Astrogeology Science Center

January 1, 1992

####                 Triton's surface-atmosphere energy balance              

                  - Overview  
The USGS Astrogeology Science Center conducts research on the interaction between planetary surfaces and the overlying atmospheres. In particular, the transfer of momentum (from wind), vapor (evaporation/sublimation), liquid (rainfall, percolation, infiltration) and solids (snow) occurs between surfaces and atmospheres. 
Dunes and Ripples
One topic in particular that we focus on is the transport of sand and dust by wind. Flagstaff, AZ has numerous dunefields nearby, which  we study via the Astrogeology Science Center Terrestrial Analogs Program. We are also interested in subaqueous dunes and ripples, as they may be analogs to bedforms under thicker atmospheres, such as those on Titan and Venus.
Terrestrial Analogs- USGS Astrogeology TARGET Program
Study AreaContactsKaj Williams, Ph.D.Research Physical ScientistAstrogeology Science CenterEmailkewilliams@usgs.govTimothy Neal Titus, Ph.D.Research Space ScientistAstrogeology Science CenterEmailttitus@usgs.govPhone928-556-7201Amber GulliksonGeologistAstrogeology Science CenterEmailagullikson@usgs.govLauren Edgar, Ph.D.Research GeologistAstrogeology Science CenterEmailledgar@usgs.govExplore Search- Analogs
- Earth
- Geomorphology
- Mars
- Modeling
- Research
- Atmospheres
- Dunes
- Dust
- Hydrology
- Ice
- Regolith
- Snow
- Water
- Weathering
- Climate
- Ecosystems
- Planetary Science
- Water
- atmospheric and climatic processes
- Grand Falls Dune site
- aeolian dust
View All ** 
                  - Data  LabelOctober 10, 2021                Imagery, soil temperature and humidity profiles, and meteorological data from December 2020 to April 2021, Grand Falls Dune Field, Arizona              Grand Falls dune field (GFDF) is located on the Navajo Nation, ~70 km NE of Flagstaff, AZ. This active dune field displays a range of morphologies, including barchans, smaller dunes, and ripples, and is bimodal in composition. The felsic component is likely derived from the Little Colorado River, and the mafic component (basaltic grains) is locally sourced from nearby cinder cones [1]. GFDF is anByAstrogeology Science CenterOctober 15, 2020                Grand Falls, Arizona: Dune Field Sand Transport 2017 - 2019              As part of a NASA-funded study of sediment flux rates at a Mars analog site, we installed a suite of instruments in a small dune field near Grand Falls, Arizona. Data released in this report was collected from 02/07/2017 to 05/22/2019. The Grand Falls (GF) dune field is located on the Navajo Nation. It lies ~70 km NE of Flagstaff, AZ, 2 km east of Grand Falls, and just north of the Little ColoradoByAstrogeology Science CenterOctober 15, 2020                Grand Falls, Arizona: Dune Field Sand Transport 2013 - 2016              As part of a NASA-funded study of sediment flux rates at a Mars analog site, we installed a suite of instruments in a small dune field near Grand Falls, Arizona. Data released in this report were collected from 10/28/2013 to 11/04/2016. The Grand Falls (GF) dune field is located on the Navajo Nation. It lies ~70 km NE of Flagstaff, AZ, 2 km east of Grand Falls, and just north of the Little ColoradByAstrogeology Science Center 
                  - Publications  LabelApril 11, 2022                Planetary Aeolian landforms: An introduction to the Fifth Planetary Dunes Workshop Special Issue              Aeolian landforms are widespread in our solar system. Understanding the exact nature and processes of formation of these features are challenging tasks necessitating a strong collaboration between scientists with different skills and scientific backgrounds. This paper describes the special issue for the 5th International Planetary Dunes Workshop, which includes 15 research papers and three commentAuthorsSimone Silvestro, Timothy N. TitusByNatural Hazards Mission Area, Astrogeology Science CenterApril 30, 2021                Aeolian processes and landforms across the Solar System: Science and technology requirements for the next decade              Discussions of planetary atmospheric-surface interactions (including aeolian processes and phenomena and the resulting landforms) are often tied to a specific planetary body. Considering this, a series of workshops were initiated in 2008 to facilitate an interdisciplinary and interplanetary body approach to further our understanding of aeolian processes, phenomena, and landforms (Titus et al., 200AuthorsTimothy N. Titus, S. Diniega, L.K. Fenton, Lynn D.V. Neakrase, J. Nienhuis, J Radebaugh, Kaj E. Williams, James R. ZimbelmanByNatural Hazards Mission Area, Astrogeology Science CenterApril 30, 2021                A critical gap: In situ measurements of surface-atmosphere interactions from outside earth              This white paper demonstrates five points: (1) The lack of robust measurements of the vertical gradients of natural boundary layers and transport fluxes on other planetary bodies precludes adequate estimation of aeolian and other meteorological processes throughout our Solar System (§1). (2) Thus, there exist critical knowledge gaps within high-priority planetary science questions that motivate thAuthorsSerina Diniega, Devon M. Burr, Colin M. Dundas, Brian Jackson, Michael Mischna, Scot Rafkin, Isaac B. Smith, Robert Sullivan, Timothy N. Titus, Nathalie Vriend, Ian J. Walker, Kaj E. WilliamsByNatural Hazards Mission Area, Astrogeology Science CenterAugust 7, 2020                Ancient Martian aeolian sand dune deposits recorded in the stratigraphy of Valles Marineris and implications for past climates              Aeolian sediment transport, deposition, and erosion have been ongoing throughout Mars's history. This record of widespread aeolian processes is preserved in landforms and geologic units that retain important clues about past environmental conditions including wind patterns. In this study we describe landforms within Melas Chasma, Valles Marineris, that occur in distinct groups with linear to crescAuthorsMatthew Chojnacki, Lori K. Fenton, Aaron R Weintraub, Lauren A. Edgar, Mohini Jeetendra Jodhpurkar, Christopher S. EdwardsByNatural Hazards Mission Area, Astrogeology Science CenterJanuary 1, 2005                Aeolian processes at the Mars Exploration Rover Meridiani Planum landing site              The martian surface is a natural laboratory for testing our understanding of the physics of aeolian (wind-related) processes in an environment different from that of Earth. Martian surface markings and atmospheric opacity are time-variable, indicating that fine particles at the surface are mobilized regularly by wind. Regolith (unconsolidated surface material) at the Mars Exploration Rover OpportuAuthorsR. Sullivan, D. Banfield, J.F. Bell, W. Calvin, D. Fike, M. Golombek, R. Greeley, J. Grotzinger, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, D. Jerolmack, M. Malin, D. Ming, Laurence A. Soderblom, S. W. Squyres, S. Thompson, W.A. Watters, C.M. Weitz, A. YenByNatural Hazards Mission Area, Astrogeology Science CenterJanuary 1, 2003                Aeolian processes in Proctor Crater on Mars: Sedimentary history as analyzed from multiple data sets              Proctor Crater is a 150 km diameter crater in Noachis Terra, within the southern highlands of Mars. The analysis leading to the sedimentary history incorporates several data sets including imagery, elevation, composition, and thermal inertia, mostly from the Mars Global Surveyor mission. The resulting stratigraphy reveals that the sedimentary history of Proctor Crater has involved a complex interaAuthorsL.K. Fenton, J. L. Bandfield, A. W. WardJanuary 1, 2000                TES observations of the martian surface and atmosphere              The TES instrument is a Fourier transform Michelson interferometer operating with 10 or 5 cm-1 sampling int he thermal infared spectral region from 1700 to 200 cm-1 (~6 to 50 μm) where virtually all minerals have characteristic fundamental vibrational absorption bands (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8). The TES data used in this paper are among the 6x107 spectra collected during the early mapping phase of tAuthorsP. R. Christensen, H. H. Kieffer, J.C. Pearl, B. Conrath, M. C. Malin, R.C. Clark, R.V. Morris, J.L. Banfield, M. D. Lane, M. D. Smith, V.E. Hamilton, R.O. KuzminJanuary 1, 1999                Aeolian features and processes at the Mars Pathfinder landing site              The Mars Pathfinder landing site contains abundant features attributed to aeolian, or wind, processes. These include wind tails, drift deposits, duneforms of various types, ripplelike features, and ventifacts (the first clearly seen on Mars). Many of these features are consistant with formation involving sand-size particles. Although some features, such as dunes, could develop from saltating sand-AuthorsRonald Greeley, Michael Kraft, Robert Sullivan, Gregory Wilson, Nathan Bridges, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, Ruslan O. Kuzmin, Michael Malin, Wes WardByNatural Hazards Mission Area, Astrogeology Science CenterJanuary 1, 1992                Triton's surface-atmosphere energy balance              We explore the energetics of Triton's surface-atmosphere system using a model that includes the turbulent transfer of sensible heat as well as insolation, reradiation, and latent heat transport. The model relies on a 1° by 1° resolution hemispheric bolometric albedo map of Triton for determining the atmospheric temperature, the N2 frost emissivity, and the temperatures of unfrosted portions of theAuthorsJ.A. Stansberry, R.V. Yelle, J. I. Lunine, A. S. McEwen