2016 Volume 125 Issue 1 Pages 105-119
Spiral troughs are observed on the polar ice caps of Mars. Interplanetary explorations indicate the troughs are perpendicular to katabatic winds blowing on the ice surface with jumps observed at the lee sides of troughs. Based on these observations, Smith et al. suggest they are not troughs but bedforms created by the sublimation of water carried by katabatic winds and ice on the floor. To demonstrate the fundamental processes forming bedforms on ice, linear stability analyses of the formation of boundary waves on the water-ice interface under laminar and turbulent flow conditions are presented. In addition, a formulation for the formation of boundary waves on ice due to katabatic winds is also proposed.
