Abstract
Convective vortices (whirlwinds) and dust devils (dust-loaded vortices)
are one of the most common phenomena on Mars, observable on a daily
basis. They reflect the local thermodynamical structure of the
atmosphere and are the driving force of the dust cycle. Additionally,
they cause an elastic ground deformation, which is useful for retrieving
the subsurface rigidity. Therefore, investigating Martian convective
vortices with the right instrumentation can lead to a better
understanding of the Martian atmospheric structures as well as the
subsurface physical properties. In this study, we quantitatively
characterized the convective vortices detected by NASA’s InSight mission
(~13,000 events) using both meteorological (e.g.,
pressure, wind speed, temperature) and seismic data. The evaluated
parameters, such as the signal-to-noise ratio, event duration,
asymmetricity of pressure drop profiles, and cross-correlation
coefficient between seismic and pressure signals, are compiled as a
catalog. To demonstrate how our catalog can contribute to scientific
investigations, we show two analysis results about (i) asymmetrical
features seen in the vortex-related pressure drops and (ii)
atmospheric-ground interaction to retrieve the subsurface physical
properties.