Related papers: Martian north polar cap summer water cycle
The polarimetry of the light scattered by planetary surfaces is a powerful tool to provide constraints on their microstructure. To improve the interpretation of polarimetric data from icy surfaces, we have developed the POLarimeter for ICE…
Mars' wet-to-dry transition is a major environmental catastrophe, yet the spatial pattern, tempo, and cause of drying are poorly constrained. We built a globally-distributed database of constraints on Mars late-stage paleolake size relative…
Ice deposits on Earth provide an extended record of volcanism, planetary climate, and life. On Mars, such a record may extend as far back as tens to hundreds of millions of years (My), compared to only a few My on Earth. Here, we propose…
There is ongoing debate over whether Arctic sea-ice has already passed a `tipping point', or whether it will do so in the future. Several recent studies argue that the loss of summer sea ice does not involve an irreversible bifurcation,…
JWST NIRSpec IFU (2.9-5.3 mu) and MIRI MRS (4.9-28.5 mu) observations were performed on both the leading and trailing hemispheres of Ganymede with a spectral resolution of ~2700. Reflectance spectra show signatures of water ice, CO2 and…
We discuss recent measurements of the wavelength-dependent absorption coefficients in deep South Pole ice. The method uses transit time distributions of pulses from a variable-frequency laser sent between emitters and receivers embedded in…
The role of water ice in the solar system is reviewed from a fluid-dynamical point of view. On Earth and Mars, water ice forms ice sheets, ice caps and glaciers at the surface, which show glacial flow under their own weight. By contrast,…
We utilize data from the MAVEN Radio Occultation Science Experiment (Withers et al., 2020) - with unprecedented coverage in solar zenith angle - to isolate the effects that local time and season induce on the photochemical ionosphere of…
A large number of surface features (e.g., frost, gullies, slope streaks, recurring slope lineae) are observed on Martian slopes. Their activity is often associated with the specific microclimates on these slopes, which have been mostly…
The paper deals with the investigation of the Mars subsurface by means of data collected by the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding working at few MHz frequencies. A data processing strategy, which combines a simple…
Simulations with the Max Planck Institute Martian general circulation model for Martian years 28 and 34 reveal details of the water "pump" mechanism and the role of gravity wave (GW) forcing. Water is advected to the upper atmosphere mainly…
We analyze Mars Climate Sounder temperature and aerosol data in the tropics to study atmospheric tides and their relation to the dust and water ice distributions. Our results from data covering Mars years (MY) 29-35 reveal that MY29 has…
The climate of early Mars has been hotly debated for decades. Although most investigators believe that the geology indicates the presence of surface water, disagreement has persisted regarding how warm and wet the surface must have been and…
The reflectance of water ice and dust mixtures depends, amongst other parameters, on how the components are mixed (e.g. intimate mixture, areal mixture or coating) (Clark et al. 1999). Therefore, when inverting the reflectance spectra…
The Martian obliquity cycle is predominately influenced by Solar and Jovian tidal forces. The present-day axial tilt of Mars (25 degrees) is predicted to cycle between 0 degrees and 60 degrees (Mischna & Richardson 2005) with excursions up…
The biologically damaging solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation (quantified by the DNA-weighted dose) reaches the Martian surface in extremely high levels. Searching for potentially habitable UV-protected environments on Mars, we considered the…
Recently there has been tremendous increase in the number of identified extra-solar planetary systems. Our understanding of their formation is tied to exoplanet internal structure models, which rely upon equations of state of light elements…
Airborne dust plays an active role in determining the thermal structure and chemical composition of the present-day atmosphere of Mars and possibly the planet's climate evolution over time through radiative--convective and cloud…
The optical properties of the ice at the geographical South Pole have been investigated at depths between 0.8 and 1 kilometers. The absorption and scattering lengths of visible light ($\sim$515 nm) have been measured {\it in situ } using…
The climate of early Mars remains a topic of intense debate. Ancient terrains preserve landscapes consistent with stream channels, lake basins, and possibly even oceans, and thus the presence of liquid water flowing on the Martian surface 4…