2010 Annual Research Report

In 2010, Balme continued data collection and analysis of his MFRP-funded dust devil field research. Two field expeditions were completed in 2009 and another in 2010. Balme was unable to attend dust devil field work in 2010 due to the birth of his first child. Instead, he delegated leadership of the field part of the project to CoI Metzger and Pathare. The field work was successful, with many successful “tags” of dust devils in-situ, as well as full supporting survey data. Four presentations of early results were presented at LPSC in 1010, as well as the first peer-reviewed publication from the project by Pathare et al. (Icarus). The data-collection part of the project has now been completed – all (all!) that remains is analysis and write-up. Balme will be requesting a no-cost extension to the project for 2011 due to the late release of funds for year 1 that prevented fieldwork in the first field season and set the project back by a year.

Balme has begun a new project as CoI with Bill Hartmann to study the effects of ice-rich terrains on small impact crater statistics. Engagement has only been at the planning stage so far, but Balme will be working on this project more in 2011.

Papers: 

Balme, M. R., C. Gallagher, D. P. Page, J. B. Murray, J-P. Muller, J-R. Kim, The Western Elysium Planitia Palaeolake. In: N. Cabrol, (Ed.), Lakes on Mars. Elsevier, New York, ISBN 978-0-444-52854-4, 550pp, 2010

Grindrod, P. and M. R. Balme, Groundwater processes in Hebes Chasma, Mars. Geophys. Res. Let., 37, L13202, doi:10.1029/2010GL044122, 2010

Pathare, A. V., M. R. Balme, S. M. Metzger, A. Spiga, M. C. Towner, N. O. Renno and F. Saca, Assessing the power law hypothesis for the size-frequency distribution of terrestrial and martian dust devils. Icarus 209 (2), 851-853, 2010

Abstracts: 

M. R. Balme, S.M. Metzger, A. Pathare, N. Renno, F. Saca, A. Spiga, M.C. Towner, A new field study of terrestrial dust devils with application to Mars: using a stereo-camera survey and GIS to calculate the size-frequency distribution of dust devils in the southwest USA, Lunar Plan. Sci. Conf. XLI, Abstr. 2349, 2010

M. Balme, C. Gallagher, S. Gupta, J. Murray, Lethe Vallis, Mars: a "fill and spill" flood-carved channel, Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 12, EGU2010-11837,2010

A. Pathare, M. Balme, S. Metzger, A. Spiga, M. Towner, F. Saca, Field observations of the size-frequency distribution of terrestrial dust devils: assessing the power law hypothesis of dust devil diameters, Lunar Plan. Sci. Conf. XLI, Abstr. 2325, 2010

S. Metzger, M. Balme, A. Pathare, N. Renno, M. Towner, F. Saca, A. Spiga, Dust devil sediment loading, wind speeds and pressure excursions, Lunar Plan. Sci. Conf. XLI, Abstr. 2342, 2010 

S. J. Conway1, M. R. Balme, J. B. Murray, M. C. Towner, C. Okubo, P. M. Grindrod, Geomorphic analysis of the formation processes of martian gullies, Lunar Plan. Sci. Conf. XLI, Abstr. 1881, 2010 

A. Spiga, A. Pathare, M. Balme, N. Renno, F. Saca, D. Halleaux, S. Metzger, In-situ studies of terrestrial dust devils and ambient meteorology: field measurements of vorticity, Lunar Plan. Sci. Conf. XLI, Abstr. 1327, 2010 

C. Gallagher and M. Balme, Landform assemblages indicative of northern high latitude thaw on Mars. Lunar Plan. Sci. Conf. XLI, Abstr. 1623, 2010

S. J. Conway, M. R. Balme, M. C. Towner and J. B. Murray, Can water move sediment on present-day Mars? Insights into gully formation from laboratory simulations, Lunar Plan. Sci. Conf. XLI, Abstr. 1894, 2010 

P. M. Grindrod and M. R. Balme, Groundwater processes in Hebes Chasma, Mars. Lunar Plan. Sci. Conf. XLI, Abstr. 1311, 2010

S. K. Harrison, M. R. Balme, A. Hagermann, J. B. Murray, J–P. Muller, Mapping Medusae Fossae materials on the southern highlands of Mars, Lunar Plan. Sci. Conf. XLI, Abstr. 1681, 2010

C. Gallagher and M. Balme, Landform assemblages indicative of northern high latitude thaw on Mars, Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 12, EGU2010-2821,2010

S. Conway, M. Balme, J. Murray, and M. Towner, Quantitative analysis of gully long profiles on Earth and Mars, Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 12, EGU2010-9889, 2010

S. K. Harrison, M. R. Balme, A. Hagermann, J. B. Murray, J–P. Muller, Mapping Medusae Fossae materials on the southern highlands of Mars, Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 12, EGU2010-10119, 2010