Abstract Project: KOP132


Investigating periglacial and glacial structures on Brøgger Peninsula (West-Spitsbergen, Svalbard) as analogs for Martian landforms

Harald Hiesinger (Univ.Muenster)

Relatively young (<10 My) latitude-dependent landforms with a presumably periglacial origin are ubiquitous on Mars. They are thought to be indicative of permafrost, and their study enables reconstructing the recent (~105–107 yrs) climate history of Mars. This requires the analysis of 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 in Svalbard that resemble those martian surface features. A second flight campaign in 2020 provided repeat coverage, enabling the quantification of surface changes. 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 > decade-long track record for monitoring Mars-relevant landforms and their changes on Svalbard.


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