Work

Seasonal Variations over the Zhurong Plume-disturbed Zone Indicate Modern Dust Transport in Utopia Planitia, Mars

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Dust activity is critical to the modern Martian climate system and drives episodic material exchange between the surface and atmosphere. Characterizing this exchange requires numerical modeling and coordinated in situ and orbital observations, which improve constraints on atmospheric processes and support robotic mission safety. We performed reflectance cross calibration between the Tianwen-1 HiRIC and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) HiRISE datasets to track surface changes disturbed by landing plume effects across 2 Martian yr after the Zhurong rover’s arrival. Observations show surface reflectance rapidly recovered to prelanding conditions within the first Martian year, followed by a moderate dust-cleaning event in the subsequent spring. We conclude that the site undergoes significant dust accumulation starting in late northern summer, paired with springtime dust removal driven by convective vortices. This combined pattern of dust exchange differs from records at earlier landing sites, demonstrating substantial spatial variability in modern local dust activity across Mars.

Source: The Astronomical Journal

DOI: 10.3847/1538-3881/aeb125