Comparing Navcam dust devil detections to transient daytime convective vortex signatures in REMS pressure and ultraviolet data

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover has collected over seven Mars Years (MY) of meteorological data. We compare visible dust devil detections in Navigational Camera (Navcam) observations to signatures detected using the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) pressure and Ultraviolet (UV) Sensors. Using methodology from previous work, we search for pressure drops and corresponding transient decreases in the UV signal to detect dust-laden vortex signatures that can be compared to dust devil detections from Navcam. Results from these detections show a strong seasonality and topographical influence in pressure drops, but coincident UV drops, which are indicative of dust-laden vortices, tend to be more frequent in certain locations and do not strictly follow this seasonality. Diurnal patterns in dust devil detections by REMS compare well with Navcam detections, with a strong increase in these detections near 10:00 LTST, a peak near local noon, a gradual decrease in afternoon hours, and some interannual variability. UV detections fall off towards Marker Band Valley, an area with high surface thermal inertia and limited sand cover, as do Navcam detections, suggesting that sand availability plays an important role in where dust devils are forming.