Wind streaks on Mars: Comparisons of production models with observations of bright streaks
To investigate the influence of crater size on martian wind streaks, the characteristics of bright streaks associated with craters ranging from approximately 100 m to 80 km in diameter were analyzed in several regions. The ratio of streak length to obstacle height (L/h) could be diagnostic of the relative effectiveness of different sized obstacles in disturbing near surface atmospheric flow; since the crater rim height to diameter relationship has not previously been determined for Mars, the rim heights of numerous craters were estimated from shadow measurements. In all areas studied, bright streak L/h values decrease with increasing h, indicating that smaller obstacles produce longer streaks relative to their height than do larger obstacles. Several models of bright streak production are used to explain this behavior are discussed.