Among other things, Global Surveyor has taken pictures of planet-scale dust storms, elaborate dunes and volcanoes.
For example, these jets produce strong "winds" that appear to drive dust particles into dunes.
That lawsuit seeks to force local officials to take more steps toward remediating the dust from the dunes.
In their report, the geologists suggested that clay deposited in the sand dunes as dust particles eventually coats the sand grains, restricting the dune's ability to absorb water.
"Every time you remove some of this pavement for any reason, even for innocent things like agriculture, new dust storms and sand dunes are created," El-Baz said.
The agreement pledges the DWP to provide Great Basin with a one-time contribution of $10 million to cover the costs of controlling dust at nearby Keeler Dunes, which lie just east of the dry lake.
Also, the utility will have the right to audit Great Basin's books on an annual basis to verify that the funds were used to quench dust rising off the dunes, according to the 14-page settlement that is subject to the approval of the DWP Board of Commissioners.
Other observations, including streaks of windblown dust and patterns in dune fields and in the many varieties of clouds, have provided additional clues about surface winds.
Bullard, J. E., Mctainsh, G. H. & Pudmenzky, C. Factors affecting the nature and rate of dust production from natural dune sands.
The Dust Telescope on-board DUNE-eXpress consists of two large area mass analyzer (LAMA) instrument modules and four dust Trajectory Sensors with a total weight of 60 kg.
