Dust devils are common on Mars.
Like their counterparts on Earth, dust devils form when the convective vortices driven by strong surface heating are loaded with dust particles.
Dust devils on Mars usually have a diameter of tens of meter and height of several kilometers, which are much taller than the ones observed on Earth.
Study of dust devils' tracks showed that most of Martian dust devils occur at around 60°N and 60°S in spring and summer.
They lift about 2.3 × 10¹¹ kg of dust from land surface to atmosphere annually, which is comparable to the contribution from local and regional dust storms.

Local and regional dust storms are not rare on Mars.
Local storms have a size of about 10³ km² and occurrence of about 2000 events per Martian year, while regional storms of 10⁶ km²  large are observed frequently in southern spring and summer.
Near the polar cap, dust storms sometimes can be generated by frontal activities and extratropical cyclones.
Global dust storms (area > 10⁶ km² ) occur on average once every 3 Martial years.
Observations showed that larger dust storms are usually the result of merging smaller dust storms, but the growth mechanism of the storm and the role of atmospheric feedbacks are still not well understood.
Although it is thought that Martian dust can be entrained into the atmosphere by processes similar to Earth's (e.g. saltation), the actual mechanisms are yet to be verified, and electrostatic or magnetic forces may also play in modulating dust emission.
Researchers reported that the largest single source of dust on Mars comes from the Medusae Fossae Formation.


On 1 June 2018, NASA scientists detected signs of a dust storm (see image) on Mars which resulted in the end of the solar-powered Opportunity rover's mission since the dust blocked the sunlight (see image) needed to operate.
By 12 June, the storm was the most extensive recorded at the surface of the planet, and spanned an area about the size of North America and Russia combined (about a quarter of the planet).
By 13 June, Opportunity rover began experiencing serious communication problems due to the dust storm.
Dust devils are common on Mars. Like their counterparts on Earth, dust devils form when the convective vortices driven by strong surface heating are loaded with dust particles. Dust devils on Mars usually have a diameter of tens of meter and height of several kilometers, which are much taller than the ones observed on Earth. Study of dust devils' tracks showed that most of Martian dust devils occur at around 60°N and 60°S in spring and summer. They lift about 2.3 × 10¹¹ kg of dust from land surface to atmosphere annually, which is comparable to the contribution from local and regional dust storms.
Local and regional dust storms are not rare on Mars. Local storms have a size of about 10³ km² and occurrence of about 2000 events per Martian year, while regional storms of 10⁶ km²  large are observed frequently in southern spring and summer. Near the polar cap, dust storms sometimes can be generated by frontal activities and extratropical cyclones. Global dust storms (area > 10⁶ km² ) occur on average once every 3 Martial years. Observations showed that larger dust storms are usually the result of merging smaller dust storms, but the growth mechanism of the storm and the role of atmospheric feedbacks are still not well understood. Although it is thought that Martian dust can be entrained into the atmosphere by processes similar to Earth's (e.g. saltation), the actual mechanisms are yet to be verified, and electrostatic or magnetic forces may also play in modulating dust emission. Researchers reported that the largest single source of dust on Mars comes from the Medusae Fossae Formation.

On 1 June 2018, NASA scientists detected signs of a dust storm (see image) on Mars which resulted in the end of the solar-powered Opportunity rover's mission since the dust blocked the sunlight (see image) needed to operate. By 12 June, the storm was the most extensive recorded at the surface of the planet, and spanned an area about the size of North America and Russia combined (about a quarter of the planet). By 13 June, Opportunity rover began experiencing serious communication problems due to the dust storm.
Atmosphere of Mars