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EUREC4A
Diagram of the airborne and ship-based measurements planned for EUREC4A. The low-altitude flight segments will map the cloud conditions and determine the mass balance of the layer of air beneath the clouds. The circular flights will document the large-scale conditions using dropsondes and record the underlying cloud field using remote sensing. Ship-based remote sensing will complement the aircraft measurements, while also conducting in-situ measurements using sensors attached to tethered balloons. EUREC4A will be the largest study yet to examine low-level clouds and their interactions with the atmosphere and ocean. -
View of part of the northern polar ice cap
Characteristic features of the north polar cap include dark fissures and valleys that spiral outward from the centre of the polar region in a counterclockwise direction. Stratification is visible on the steep slopes, reminiscent of tree rings. This attests to seasonal changes in ice deposits and dust cover due to Martian storms. By examining these layer profiles, scientists hope to gain insights into the development of the Martian climate. The permanent water ice cover at the north pole is over two kilometres thick in places, while the seasonal carbon dioxide ice layers are only a few metres thick. Cloud formations can be seen on the up to two-kilometre-high slopes of some of the valleys; these are local dust storms that are similar to fall winds. -
3D-view of part of the Martian north pole
Anaglyph images can be produced from data acquired by the nadir channel (oriented vertically onto the surface of Mars) of the HRSC instrument on board the ESA Mars Express spacecraft and one of the four oblique-view stereo channels. When viewed with red-blue or red-green glasses, these images give a three-dimensional view of the landscape. North is at the top right of the image. This view clearly shows the height difference of up to 2000 metres between the dark clefts in the polar cap, which are several hundred metres deep, and ice-covered hills. -
Topographic overview of the Martian north pole
The HRSC camera system operated by DLR on board the ESA Mars Express spacecraft recorded the marked strip during orbit 3670. The landscapes shown here are located in the smaller rectangle. Mars’ northern polar plain, also known as the Planum Boreale, spirals around the Red Planet's north pole. -
Flight in the dunes
The recent flights took place in the sand dunes of the Jockey's Ridge State Park. As the slope of the dunes is not as steep as it was in the past, the gliders were pulled into the air by towlines.
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