Ancient Mars' Water Mystery Solved: Carbon Dioxide's Role in Shaping the Planet's Landscape
By Trending Desk, Alayaran.com
New Delhi, November 10, 2024 – A groundbreaking study by Peter Buhler, a research scientist at the Planetary Science Institute, has shed light on how ancient Mars, despite its cold temperatures, managed to sustain flowing rivers and shape its landscape. Published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Buhler's research suggests that carbon dioxide ice played a pivotal role in this process.
Mars, with its valleys, canyons, and river-like features, has long puzzled scientists about the origin of its water. Buhler's model proposes that around 3.6 billion years ago, carbon dioxide from Mars' atmosphere froze and settled on a layer of water ice at the planet's south polar region. This layer of CO2 ice acted as a thermal blanket, trapping heat from the planet's interior and increasing pressure on the underlying ice.
"This model describes the origins of major landscape features on Mars, like the biggest lake, the biggest valleys, and the biggest esker system - remnants of rivers that once flowed beneath an ice sheet – in a self-consistent way," Buhler explained. "And it's only relying on a process that we see already today, which is just carbon dioxide collapsing from the atmosphere."
The heat trapped by the carbon dioxide ice layer caused half of Mars' water ice to melt, creating rivers that flowed through the interface between the ice sheet and the rock beneath, akin to how rivers emerge from beneath glaciers on Earth. This meltwater formed long gravel ridges called eskers, many of which have been observed near Mars’ south pole, corroborating Buhler's model.
Buhler's findings challenge the previous assumptions of global warming events on Mars. "While many scientists have tried to figure out how this could happen, the most common explanation has been some form of global warming on Mars. However, this explanation was not satisfying because the factors leading to warming were unclear," he noted.
This research not only provides a plausible explanation for the presence of water on ancient Mars but also enhances our understanding of planetary processes and the potential for life in extreme environments. As we continue to explore Mars, such insights will be crucial in planning future missions and understanding the historical climate changes on the Red Planet.