UAV Imaging of a Martian Brine Analogue Environment in a Fluvio-Aeolian Setting
Document identifier: oai:DiVA.org:ltu-75922
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10.3390/rs11182104Keyword: Natural Sciences,
Maskinteknik,
Atmospheric science,
Analogue research,
Geomorphometry,
Salt flat,
Photogrammetry,
Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV),
Rymd- och flygteknik,
Teknik och teknologier,
Earth and Related Environmental Sciences,
Aerospace Engineering,
Mechanical Engineering,
Engineering and Technology,
Multidisciplinär geovetenskap,
Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap,
Naturvetenskap,
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary,
AtmosfärsvetenskapPublication year: 2019Relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
The SDG label(s) above have been assigned by OSDG.aiAbstract: Understanding extraterrestrial environments and landforms through remote sensing and terrestrial analogy has gained momentum in recent years due to advances in remote sensing platforms, sensors, and computing efficiency. The seasonal brines of the largest salt plateau on Earth in Salar de Uyuni (Bolivian Altiplano) have been inadequately studied for their localized hydrodynamics and the regolith volume transport across the freshwater-brine mixing zones. These brines have recently been projected as a new analogue site for the proposed Martian brines, such as recurring slope lineae (RSL) and slope streaks. The Martian brines have been postulated to be the result of ongoing deliquescence-based salt-hydrology processes on contemporary Mars, similar to the studied Salar de Uyuni brines. As part of a field-site campaign during the cold and dry season in the latter half of August 2017, we deployed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at two sites of the Salar de Uyuni to perform detailed terrain mapping and geomorphometry. We generated high-resolution (2 cm/pixel) photogrammetric digital elevation models (DEMs) for observing and quantifying short-term terrain changes within the brines and their surroundings. The achieved co-registration for the temporal DEMs was considerably high, from which precise inferences regarding the terrain dynamics were derived. The observed average rate of bottom surface elevation change for brines was ~1.02 mm/day, with localized signs of erosion and deposition. Additionally, we observed short-term changes in the adjacent geomorphology and salt cracks. We conclude that the transferred regolith volume via such brines can be extremely low, well within the resolution limits of the remote sensors that are currently orbiting Mars, thereby making it difficult to resolve the topographic relief and terrain perturbations that are produced by such flows on Mars. Thus, the absence of observable erosion and deposition features within or around most of the proposed Martian RSL and slope streaks cannot be used to dismiss the possibility of fluidized flow within these features
Authors
Anshuman Bhardwaj
Luleå tekniska universitet; Rymdteknik
Other publications
>>
Lydia Sam
Luleå tekniska universitet; Rymdteknik
Other publications
>>
Javier Martin-Torres
Luleå tekniska universitet; Rymdteknik
Other publications
>>
María-Paz Zorzano Mier
Luleå tekniska universitet; Rymdteknik
Other publications
>>
Juan Antonio Ramírez Luque
Luleå tekniska universitet; Rymdteknik
Other publications
>>
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header:
identifier: oai:DiVA.org:ltu-75922
datestamp: 2021-04-19T12:36:14Z
setSpec: SwePub-ltu
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recordContentSource: ltu
recordCreationDate: 2019-09-09
identifier:
http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-75922
10.3390/rs11182104
2-s2.0-85072630275
titleInfo:
@attributes:
lang: eng
title: UAV Imaging of a Martian Brine Analogue Environment in a Fluvio-Aeolian Setting
abstract: Understanding extraterrestrial environments and landforms through remote sensing and terrestrial analogy has gained momentum in recent years due to advances in remote sensing platforms sensors and computing efficiency. The seasonal brines of the largest salt plateau on Earth in Salar de Uyuni (Bolivian Altiplano) have been inadequately studied for their localized hydrodynamics and the regolith volume transport across the freshwater-brine mixing zones. These brines have recently been projected as a new analogue site for the proposed Martian brines such as recurring slope lineae (RSL) and slope streaks. The Martian brines have been postulated to be the result of ongoing deliquescence-based salt-hydrology processes on contemporary Mars similar to the studied Salar de Uyuni brines. As part of a field-site campaign during the cold and dry season in the latter half of August 2017 we deployed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at two sites of the Salar de Uyuni to perform detailed terrain mapping and geomorphometry. We generated high-resolution (2 cm/pixel) photogrammetric digital elevation models (DEMs) for observing and quantifying short-term terrain changes within the brines and their surroundings. The achieved co-registration for the temporal DEMs was considerably high from which precise inferences regarding the terrain dynamics were derived. The observed average rate of bottom surface elevation change for brines was ~1.02 mm/day with localized signs of erosion and deposition. Additionally we observed short-term changes in the adjacent geomorphology and salt cracks. We conclude that the transferred regolith volume via such brines can be extremely low well within the resolution limits of the remote sensors that are currently orbiting Mars thereby making it difficult to resolve the topographic relief and terrain perturbations that are produced by such flows on Mars. Thus the absence of observable erosion and deposition features within or around most of the proposed Martian RSL and slope streaks cannot be used to dismiss the possibility of fluidized flow within these features
subject:
@attributes:
lang: eng
authority: uka.se
topic:
Natural Sciences
Earth and Related Environmental Sciences
Geosciences Multidisciplinary
@attributes:
lang: swe
authority: uka.se
topic:
Naturvetenskap
Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap
Multidisciplinär geovetenskap
@attributes:
lang: eng
authority: uka.se
topic:
Engineering and Technology
Mechanical Engineering
Aerospace Engineering
@attributes:
lang: swe
authority: uka.se
topic:
Teknik och teknologier
Maskinteknik
Rymd- och flygteknik
@attributes:
lang: eng
topic: unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)
@attributes:
lang: eng
topic: photogrammetry
@attributes:
lang: eng
topic: salt flat
@attributes:
lang: eng
topic: geomorphometry
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lang: eng
topic: analogue research
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lang: eng
authority: ltu
topic: Atmospheric science
genre: Research subject
@attributes:
lang: swe
authority: ltu
topic: Atmosfärsvetenskap
genre: Research subject
language:
languageTerm: eng
genre:
publication/journal-article
ref
note:
Published
5
Validerad;2019;Nivå 2;2019-09-10 (johcin)
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Bhardwaj
Anshuman
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Luleå tekniska universitet
Rymdteknik
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0000-0002-2502-6384
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Lydia
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Luleå tekniska universitet
Rymdteknik
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0000-0003-3181-2960
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Javier
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Rymdteknik
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María-Paz
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Luleå tekniska universitet
Rymdteknik
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Juan Antonio
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Luleå tekniska universitet
Rymdteknik
nameIdentifier: juajua
originInfo:
dateIssued: 2019
publisher: MDPI
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titleInfo:
title: Remote Sensing
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2072-4292
2072-4292
part:
detail:
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type: volume
number: 11
@attributes:
type: issue
number: 18
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type: artNo
number: 2104
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