Orbital and surface observations demonstrate that aeolian activity is
occurring on Mars. Here we report the aeolian changes observed in situ
by NASA's InSight lander during the first 400 sols of operations.
Aeolian changes include creep of grains with diameters of up to 3 mm,
dust removal, dark trails left by passing vortices and possible
saltation. InSight has observed such changes by using, for the first
time, simultaneous imaging and continuous, high-frequency
meteorological, seismological, and magnetic measurements. We show that
this multi-instrument combination constrains both the timing, and
specific atmospheric conditions during which, aeolian changes occur. The
observed changes are infrequent and episodic, consistently occur between
noon and 3 pm, and are systematically associated with the passage of
convective vortices. The sudden onset of peak vortex wind speeds
promotes particle motion during sequences of enhanced vortex activity
and stronger ambient winds. Aeolian changes are correlated with
excursions in ground acceleration and magnetic field strength,
suggesting vortex-induced ground deformation and charged-particle
motion.