Dust Devils Observed by the Perseverance Rover on Mars

Dust Devils Observed by the Perseverance Rover on Mars

Dust devils are rotating, narrow updrafts of hot air, typically tens or hundreds of meters tall, that are made visible by dust lifted from the surface of a planet. Dust devils are common on Mars, where they transport substantial amounts of dust from the surface into the atmosphere, making them a key part of the martian dust cycle and climate. Dust devils cannot be directly simulated by Mars global climate models, which makes direct observations of martian dust devils invaluable. Hot air in dust devils rises because it is less dense than surrounding cooler air, and as a result, the passage of dust devils can be detected not only by dust-blocking sunlight but also by a sensitive barometer, such as the one onboard the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover.