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Devon Burr's Research

Titan Wind Tunnel

In addition to fluvial features, Titan has extensive wind-formed dunes covering 20% of its surface.  These dunes hold information about the atmospheric and climatic conditions which formed them.  Experiments in the Titan Wind Tunnel in the Planetary Aeolian Laboratory are helping us deduce the wind speeds necessary to have formed these dunes, and better understand the physics of aeolian transport under dense atmospheric conditions.  The outcome will be a better understanding of how sediment transport by wind created the surface that we see today.

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Related Publications

  • Yu GS X., S. M. Hörst, C. He, N. T. Bridges, D. M. Burr, J. A. Sebree, J. K. Smith (2017) The effect of adsorbed liquid and material density on saltation threshold: insight from laboratory and wind tunnel experiment. Icarus 297, 97-109, 10.1016/j.icarus.2017.06.034.
  • Méndez-Harper GS, J., G. McDonald GS, J. Dufek, M. Malaska, D. M. Burr, A. Hayes, J. McAdams, and J. Wray (2017) The Electrified Sands of Titan. Nature Geo. 10.1038/NGEO2921.
  • Burr, D. M., N. T. Bridges, J. R. Marshall, J. K. Smith, B. R. White, J. P. Emery (2015)  Higher-than-predicted saltation thresholds on Titan.  Nature 517, 60-66, 10.1038/nature14088.
  • Burr, D. M., N. T. Bridges, J. K. Smith, J. R. Marshall, B. R. White, and D. W. Williams (2015) The Titan Wind Tunnel: a new tool for investigating extraterrestrial aeolian environments.  Aeolian Res. 205-214, doi: 10.1016/j.aeolia.2015.07.008.

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