Martian Dust storms: a review

Abstract

A review of the dust storms observed on Mars is made. This includes the seasonal and interannual variability of planet-encircling and regional dust storms. Although there is a significant interannual variability, planet-encircling dust storms have been observed to form during the southern spring and summer seasons, while regional dust storms tend to occur more frequently. Some aspects of possible mechanisms associated with the origin, maintenance and decay of the dust storms are also discussed.