Ice Permafrost ‘‘Oases’’ Close to Martian Equator: Planet Neutron Mapping Based on Data of FREND Instrument Onboard TGO Orbiter of Russian-European ExoMars Mission

Malakhov, A. V.; Митрофанов, И. Г.; Litvak, M.; Санин, А. Б.; Golovin, D. V.; Djachkova, M. V.; Nikiforov, Sergey; Anikin, A. A.; Lisov, Denis; Lukyanov, N. V.; Мокроусов, М. И.

doi:10.1134/s1063773720060079

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…The southwest area from Olympus Mons contains LWRR‐3 and LWRR‐4 (Figure 10). LWRR‐3 coincides perfectly with the water‐rich spot reported earlier in (A. V. Malakhov et al., 2020). The estimation of its WEH is

{12,5}_{-2,2}^{+3,2}

wt%.…”

Section: Several Examples Of Detected Local Water‐rich Regionssupporting

confidence: 89%

“…There are 23 LWRRs found according to such detection approach (see Table 1 and Figure 6b). 8 of them overlap with those detected in our preliminary study in (A. V. Malakhov et al., 2020) and in Valles Marineris, studied in detail (Mitrofanov et al., 2022). LWRRs presented in Table 1 are ordered by decrease of confidence from 6.56σ down to 3.01σ.…”

Section: Detection Of Local Water‐rich Regionssupporting

confidence: 79%

“…Thus, it is evident, that as FREND was operating and accumulating data in each surface element (or pixel) over Mars, more and more features become detectable. We have already published reports on detection of possible water‐rich areas in the equatorial regions with marginal statistical confidence (A. V. Malakhov et al., 2020), and on the most confident one in Valles Marineris (Mitrofanov et al., 2022). In those cases, we were able to detect such areas due their large neutron suppression effect and their rather large sizes: each area consists of dozens of pixels and hundreds of kilometers in size.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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High Resolution Map of Water in the Martian Regolith Observed by FREND Neutron Telescope Onboard ExoMars TGO

et al. 2022

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Introduction Measuring Water Content in Marstian Regolith Through Neutron FluxWater in the upper meter of Martian regolith is found practically everywhere on the planet using remote neutron and gamma ray sensing methods. It is most abundant in the polar regions above 60° latitude, where its content measured as Water Equivalent Hydrogen is higher than 40 wt% (WEH is a measure of water in weight percent (wt%) that the subsurface material contains in case all hydrogen is attributed to water molecules, H 2 O). Such large amounts of WEH most probably mean presence of subsurface water ice. On the other hand, moderate latitudes between 40° north and south only show several wt% WEH (Boynton et al., 2002;Feldman et al., 2002;Mitrofanov et al., 2002). In this case hydrogen is thought to be attributed to either adsorbed water or water chemically bound in hydrated minerals. Some studies (e.g., Byrne et al., 2009) suggested that water ice might be present in the subsurface even in some equatorial areas with favorable conditions. In any case, water content mapping is of scientific interest, providing insights to hydrologic history of Mars. Moreover, its present conditions are an invaluable resource for planning future robotic and human exploration.The mapping of water mentioned above was carried out through neutron and gamma ray sensing instruments. This technique is widely known and was performed on Martian orbit by three instruments in the past (Boynton et al., 2002;Feldman et al., 2002;Mitrofanov et al., 2002). It was described in details, for example, in (Drake et al., 1988;Masarik & Reedy, 1996). Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs) bombard the surface of a celestial body with no or thin atmosphere, penetrating its regolith to a depth of about 2 m. As a result, particles of GCRs collide with the soil constituting nuclei and produce fast neutrons, some of which leak back toward the surface and can be detected by an orbital or lander instrument. As neutrons leak, they are moderated (loose energy

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{12,5}_{-2,2}^{+3,2}

wt%.…”

Section: Several Examples Of Detected Local Water‐rich Regionssupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Detection Of Local Water‐rich Regionssupporting

confidence: 79%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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High Resolution Map of Water in the Martian Regolith Observed by FREND Neutron Telescope Onboard ExoMars TGO

et al. 2022

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“…New results of the neutron spectrometer FREND onboard European Space Agency Trace Gas Orbiter in Valles Marineris area on Mars can be highlighted, where nuclear method revealed permafrost oasis as described in Malakhov et al. ( 2020 ) and newly published paper Mitrofanov et al. ( 2022 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Water and Chlorine in the Martian Subsurface Along the Traverse of NASA's Curiosity Rover: 1. DAN Measurement Profiles Along the Traverse

et al. 2022

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“…Remote‐sensing data do not indicate abundant shallow ice in this region. Neutron spectrometer data indicate <15 wt% H 2 O in the upper 50 cm of the subsurface at hundreds‐of‐km scales (Malakhov et al., 2020; Pathare et al., 2018), consistent with hydrated minerals or a small component of pore ice. Thermophysical ice detection with Mars Climate Sounder data has not been attempted here (Piqueux et al., 2019); Thermal Emission Spectrometer analysis (Sizemore et al., 2020) by the Subsurface Water Ice Mapping (SWIM) project did not reveal ice in the upper tens of cm.…”

Section: Regional Contextmentioning

confidence: 94%

A Large New Crater Exposes the Limits of Water Ice on Mars

Dundas

Mellon

Posiolova

et al. 2023

Geophysical Research Letters

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The mid-latitudes are critical for understanding the recent climate of Mars. Temperature and atmospheric water vapor control subsurface water ice stability (e.g., Chamberlain & Boynton, 2007;Mellon & Jakosky, 1995;Mellon et al., 2004), with colder temperatures and higher humidity causing shallower ice. Shallow ice is ubiquitous at high latitudes (e.g., Boynton et al., 2002;Smith et al., 2009) and stable at depths of centimeters (e.g., Mellon et al., 2004). At mid-latitudes warmer temperatures increase the depth of stable ice to as much as a few meters. Further equatorward, ice is absent or buried deeply enough to persist while sublimating, or localized on pole-facing slopes (e.g., Aharonson & Schorghofer, 2006).Variations in the orbit and obliquity of Mars affect temperature and humidity, causing ice to extend equatorward as obliquity increases and retreat as it decreases (e.g.,

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Ice Permafrost ‘‘Oases’’ Close to Martian Equator: Planet Neutron Mapping Based on Data of FREND Instrument Onboard TGO Orbiter of Russian-European ExoMars Mission

Cited by 13 publications

References 28 publications

High Resolution Map of Water in the Martian Regolith Observed by FREND Neutron Telescope Onboard ExoMars TGO

High Resolution Map of Water in the Martian Regolith Observed by FREND Neutron Telescope Onboard ExoMars TGO

Water and Chlorine in the Martian Subsurface Along the Traverse of NASA's Curiosity Rover: 1. DAN Measurement Profiles Along the Traverse

A Large New Crater Exposes the Limits of Water Ice on Mars

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