Seasonal Flows on Warm Martian Slopes

McEwen, A. S.; Ojha, L.; Dundas, C. M.; Mattson, S.; Byrne, Shane; Wray, J. J.; Cull, Selby; Murchie, S. L.; Thomas, N.; Gulick, V. C.

doi:10.1126/science.1204816

Cited by 463 publications

(391 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…However, the presence of water ice in the shallow subsurface midlatitude and polar regions Mitrofanov et al 2002;Byrne et al 2009), along with the detection of perchlorates in polar and equatorial soil Glavin et al 2013;Ming et al 2014) and of chloride-bearing deposits in the southern highlands at low and midlatitudes (Osterloo et al 2008), is important because they can melt this ice at Mars' present-day environmental conditions and produce liquid saline water (brine) (Clark 1978;Brass 1980;Clark and Van Hart 1981;Haberle et al 2001;Chevrier and Altheide 2008;Rennó et al 2009;McEwen et al 2011;Ojha et al 2015).…”

Section: Liquid Water and The H 2 O Cyclementioning

confidence: 99%

The Modern Near-Surface Martian Climate: A Review of In-situ Meteorological Data from Viking to Curiosity

et al. 2017

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We analyze the complete set of in-situ meteorological data obtained from the Viking landers in the 1970s to today's Curiosity rover to review our understanding of the modern near-surface climate of Mars, with focus on the dust, CO 2 and H 2 O cycles and their impact on the radiative and thermodynamic conditions near the surface. In particular, we provide values of the highest confidence possible for atmospheric opacity, atmospheric pressure, near-surface air temperature, ground temperature, near-surface wind speed and direction, and near-surface air relative humidity and water vapor content. Then, we study the diurnal, seasonal and interannual variability of these quantities over a span of more thanThe original version of this article was revised because due to an unfortunate turn of events a wrong value was published in Table 1. The resolution of the PHX pressure sensor was published as "0.1 mbar" whereas this value has now been corrected to "0.1 Pa" which is the correct value and should be regarded as the final version by the reader. B G.M. Martínez

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Section: Liquid Water and The H 2 O Cyclementioning

confidence: 99%

The Modern Near-Surface Martian Climate: A Review of In-situ Meteorological Data from Viking to Curiosity

et al. 2017

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“…However, several studies have suggested that transient liquid water may in fact be possible under the current martian climate (Hecht 2002;Ingersoll 1970;Kahn 1985) and there is evidence for the formation of small channels by some sort of liquid in the past few years (McEwen et al 2011). Thus the current conditions on the martian surface may be sufficient to enable carbonate formation to be an active process on the surface today.…”

Section: Current Martian Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochemistry of Carbonates on Mars: Implications for Climate History and Nature of Aqueous Environments

et al. 2012

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Ongoing research on martian meteorites and a new set of observations of carbonate minerals provided by an unprecedented series of robotic missions to Mars in the past 15 years help define new constraints on the history of martian climate with important cross- cutting themes including: the CO 2 budget of Mars, the role of Mg-, Fe-rich fluids on Mars, and the interplay between carbonate formation and acidity.Carbonate minerals have now been identified in a wide range of localities on Mars as well as in several martian meteorites. The martian meteorites contain carbonates in low abundances (<1 vol.%) and with a wide range of chemistries. Carbonates have also been identified by remote sensing instruments on orbiting spacecraft in several surface locations as well as in low concentrations (2-5 wt.%) in the martian dust. The Spirit rover also identified an outcrop with 16 to 34 wt.% carbonate material in the Columbia Hills of Gusev Crater that strongly resembled the composition of carbonate found in martian meteorite ALH 84001. Finally, the Phoenix lander identified concentrations of 3-6 wt.% carbonate in the soils of the northern plains.The carbonates discovered to date do not clearly indicate the past presence of a dense Noachian atmosphere, but instead suggest localized hydrothermal aqueous environments with limited water availability that existed primarily in the early to mid-Noachian followed by low levels of carbonate formation from thin films of transient water from the late Noachian to the present. The prevalence of carbonate along with evidence for active carbonate precipitation suggests that a global acidic chemistry is unlikely and a more complex relationship between acidity and carbonate formation is present.

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“…In these niches, water may be available due to the presence of salts, such as perchlorate, that can form cryobrines (which means water remains a liquid because of the high salt concentration) at temperatures down to 213 K at Mars' ambient pressure, well below the triple point of pure water (Chevrier et al 2009;Moehlmann and Thomsen 2011). It has also been suggested that the presence of reoccurring slope lineae (dark coloured lines on the surface of slopes which change in step with seasonal and daily cycles) may indicate the presence of large seasonal flows of aqueous brines (McEwen et al 2011(McEwen et al , 2014. Additionally, the presence of interfacial water in the Martian soil formed through capillary forces or a solid greenhouse effect may produce biologically available water (Moehlmann 2011).…”

Section: Is Mars Still Habitable?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Astrobiology and the Possibility of Life on Earth and Elsewhere…

et al. 2015

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Astrobiology is an interdisciplinary scientific field not only focused on the search of extraterrestrial life, but also on deciphering the key environmental parameters that have enabled the emergence of life on Earth. Understanding these physical and chemical parameters is fundamental knowledge necessary not only for discovering life or signs of life on other planets, but also for understanding our own terrestrial environment. Therefore, astrobiology pushes us to combine different perspectives such as the conditions on the primitive Earth, the Team of interdisciplinary scientists focused on astrobiology to review the profound transformations in the field that have occurred since the beginning of the new century. The present paper is an interdisciplinary review of current research in astrobiology, covering the major advances and main outlooks in the field. The following subjects will be reviewed and most recent discoveries will be highlighted: the new understanding of planetary system formation including the specificity of the Earth among the diversity of planets, the origin of water on Earth and its unique combined properties among solvents for the emergence of life, the idea that the Earth could have been habitable during the Hadean Era, the inventory of endogenous and exogenous sources of organic matter and new concepts about how chemistry could evolve towards biological molecules and biological systems. In addition, many new findings show the remarkable potential life has for adaptation and survival in extreme environments. All those results from different fields of science are guiding our perspectives and strategies to look for life in other Solar System objects as well as beyond, in extrasolar worlds.

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Seasonal Flows on Warm Martian Slopes

Cited by 463 publications

References 45 publications

The Modern Near-Surface Martian Climate: A Review of In-situ Meteorological Data from Viking to Curiosity

The Modern Near-Surface Martian Climate: A Review of In-situ Meteorological Data from Viking to Curiosity

Geochemistry of Carbonates on Mars: Implications for Climate History and Nature of Aqueous Environments

Astrobiology and the Possibility of Life on Earth and Elsewhere…

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