The Arizona State University TES Team

The Mars Global Surveyor began mapping Mars in 1999. The Thermal Emission Spectrometer instrument on board Surveyor maps the temperature and, hence, the amount of dust in the atmosphere. Beginning in mid-June, 2001, a region of increased dust abundance appeared in the Hellas Basin, an impact basin in the southern uplands that is about 1,800 kilometers in diameter and 6 kilometers deep. This continued for two weeks when the storm intensified and expanded. This is the largest storm Surveyor has seen since it began mapping the planet.

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Effects of dust storms on Mars

A dust storm of this magnitude has significant impact on the Martian climate. Dust in the atmosphere is warmed by the Sun and heats the atmosphere by 20° C. This warm air rises and moves into the Northern Hemisphere, warming the Northern Hemisphere and causing planet-wide climate variability.

Ellen Cohen