Dune Migration
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Dune Migration
ESP_028020_2560  Science Theme: Geologic Contacts/Stratigraphy
This image shows large sand dunes in the North Polar sand sea on Mars. It is one of a series of repeat images of the same dunes, taken at different times, in order to determine the type and extent of changes in the dunes over time.

Dunes tend to migrate slowly on Earth under continuous wind regimes (on the order of several to tens of meters per year), and we are just starting to verify movement on Martian dunes with these repeat HiRISE images.

In addition to migration of the dune, we will also use these repeat images to look for changes in the dune shape and avalanches down the slip face. Analyzing these changes will help us better understand the interaction between the atmosphere and the surface of Mars.

Written by: Dan Berman  (15 August 2012)

This is a stereo pair with ESP_028389_2560.
 
Acquisition date
18 July 2012

Local Mars time
15:05

Latitude (centered)
75.963°

Longitude (East)
86.881°

Spacecraft altitude
314.8 km (195.6 miles)

Original image scale range
32.4 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~97 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
25 cm/pixel

Map projection
Polarstereographic

Emission angle
14.5°

Phase angle
53.4°

Solar incidence angle
65°, with the Sun about 25° above the horizon

Solar longitude
141.4°, Northern Summer

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  97°
Sub-solar azimuth:  325.1°
JPEG
Black and white
map projected  non-map

IRB color
map projected  non-map

Merged IRB
map projected

Merged RGB
map projected

RGB color
non-map projected

JP2
Black and white
map-projected   (745MB)

IRB color
map-projected   (428MB)

JP2 EXTRAS
Black and white
map-projected  (282MB)
non-map           (324MB)

IRB color
map projected  (83MB)
non-map           (256MB)

Merged IRB
map projected  (201MB)

Merged RGB
map-projected  (192MB)

RGB color
non map           (255MB)
ANAGLYPHS
Map-projected, reduced-resolution
Full resolution JP2 download
Anaglyph details page

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
B&W label
Color label
Merged IRB label
Merged RGB label
EDR products
HiView

NB
IRB: infrared-red-blue
RGB: red-green-blue
About color products (PDF)

Black & white is 5 km across; enhanced color about 1 km
For scale, use JPEG/JP2 black & white map-projected images

USAGE POLICY
All of the images produced by HiRISE and accessible on this site are within the public domain: there are no restrictions on their usage by anyone in the public, including news or science organizations. We do ask for a credit line where possible:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona

POSTSCRIPT
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona.