Abstract Project: AWIPEV_0020

Harald Hiesinger (Univ.M nster)

Relatively young (<10 My) latitude-dependent landforms with a presumably (peri)glacial origin are ubiquitous on Mars. They are thought to be indicative of permafrost, and their study enables constrainingthe recent (~105 107yrs) climate history of Mars. This objective requires analyzing terrestrial analogues to accurately interpret remote sensing data of Mars. In 2008 we acquired high-resolution aerial images and Digital Elevation Models (DEM) of selected areas on Svalbard that resemble suchmartian surface features. A second flight campaign (2020) provided repeat coverage, enabling the quantification of surface changes. Another flight campaign is scheduled with AWI aircraft for 2024. Since 2008, we are performing fieldwork to ground truth the flight campaign(s) and measure morphometric details and rates of surface changes. Thus, we have a 15-year record of monitoring Mars-relevant landforms.