USGS · ofr20181164
Mars global digital dune database (MGD3)—Composition, stability, and thermal inertia
Abstract
The Mars Global Digital Dune Database (MGD 3 ) is an online repository that has catalogued dune fields larger than 1 km 2 located between latitudes 90° N. and 90° S. The work presented here expands upon previous MGD3 open-file reports, with a new emphasis upon characterizing dune fields through composition, stability, and thermal inertia. Included in this latest addition is a detailed compositional analysis and the associated observational data from Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) for dune fields 300 km 2 or larger; a near-global dune stability assessment; Mars Odyssey (MO1) Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) apparent thermal inertia values; and vertical near-surface thermophysical heterogeneities determined by fitting a two-layer thermal model to observed temperatures. These additional datasets are divided into two workbooks: equatorial and south polar regions. A detailed description for the layout of these workbooks can be found in the corresponding metadata document. The continuing goal of the MGD 3 is to provide a reliable and multifaceted repository of data for Mars’ dunes, with the intention that such data be easily accessible and useful to future research.
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Amber L. Gullikson, Rosalyn K. Hayward, Timothy N. Titus, Heather Charles, Lori K. Fenton, Rachael H. Hoover, Nathaniel E. Putzig. 2018-10-24. Mars global digital dune database (MGD3)—Composition, stability, and thermal inertia. https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20181164
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