Spatial and Temporal Variation of Mars South Polar Ice Composition From Spectral Endmember Classification of CRISM Mapping Data

Abstract

Multispectral mapping data from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) provide a unique opportunity to characterize south polar ice deposits at higher spectral sampling, spatial resolution, or spatiotemporal coverage than previous work. This new perspective can help constrain the nature and distribution of different mixtures of CO2 ice, H2O ice, and dust that influence the formation, evolution, and preservation of Mars climate records. We processed 1,103 CRISM observations spanning the southern summer of six Mars Years (MYs) through a combination of k‐means clustering and random forest classification. Using a set of 12 spectral endmembers directly tied to previous work with high‐resolution CRISM targeted data, we made a series of temporally restricted mosaics showing surface spectral variation over time. The mosaics show the effects of the MY 28 dust storm on the removal of the seasonal CO2 ice cap that year and reveal how this process differed from the years that followed. A mosaic showing residual ice surfaces displays broad agreement with previous compositional maps while resolving new details in the distribution of H2O ice‐rich material around the periphery of the bright CO2 ice cap. By showing how surface composition varies across a broad swath of the south polar region through time, the endmember set and classified mosaics produced in this work can provide critical context for future studies of the dynamic processes that shape south polar ice deposits.

IMD: A Dating Code to Facilitate the Study of Transient Phenomena on the Surface of Mars

“…Some examples may be the appearance of new gullies [2] or the mutations in their path, in some cases attributed to the periodic melting of the permafrost [7] and in other cases to the sliding of ice in spring [11]. Important processes also affect the circumpolar and polar regions: seasonal frosting/defrosting and clear albedo changes [12] and dark albedo changes on polar dunes [13].…”