The Viking project, which followed the Mariner projects, successfully landed spacecraft on Mars, another milestone for the U.S. space program. During a dust storm such as the one witnessed on Mars, winds may speed at hurricane-like force. Although martian air has 0.001 as much water as Earth's air, it can condense and form clouds and fog. In its past, the , martian atmosphere may have been denser and water may have flowed on the planet. Ask students to think and compare a martian dust storm to a storm on planet Earth.
Cyclones are storms of wind that encircle a center of low atmospheric pressure.
If they occur north of our equator, they move in a counter-clockwise direction. If they are south, they move in a clockwise direction. In the Southern Hemisphere where there is less land and continental resistance, cyclones can be much stronger and more damaging. Although Bangladesh is in the Northern Hemisphere, the cyclone formed in the Southern Hemisphere and caused more than 300,000 deaths. The following activity will help your students understand the principles of air pressure.