Locations of thin liquid water layers on present-day Mars

Keresztúri, A.; Rivera-Valentín, E. G.

doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2012.08.004

Cited by 33 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…2a. A fully coupled heat and mass transfer model assuming a constant thermal inertia has been used to estimate the diurnal subsurface temperature profile and water activity 16 , based on REMS data. In parallel, a simplified subsurface model has been used to derive the mean diurnal T −15 cm (as extrapolation of the measured diurnal ground surface temperatures) accounting for the site-to-site variation of thermal inertia.…”

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confidence: 99%

Transient liquid water and water activity at Gale crater on Mars

et al. 2015

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Water is a requirement for life as we know it 1 . Indirect evidence of transient liquid water has been observed from orbiter on equatorial Mars 2 , in contrast with expectations from large-scale climate models. The presence of perchlorate salts, which have been detected at Gale crater on equatorial Mars by the Curiosity rover 3,4 , lowers the freezing temperature of water 5 . Moreover, perchlorates can form stable hydrated compounds and liquid solutions by absorbing atmospheric water vapour through deliquescence 6,7 . Here we analyse relative humidity, air temperature and ground temperature data from the Curiosity rover at Gale crater and find that the observations support the formation of night-time transient liquid brines in the uppermost 5 cm of the subsurface that then evaporate after sunrise. We also find that changes in the hydration state of salts within the uppermost 15 cm of the subsurface, as measured by Curiosity, are consistent with an active exchange of water at the atmosphere-soil interface. However, the water activity and temperature are probably too low to support terrestrial organisms 8 . Perchlorates are widespread on the surface of Mars 9 and we expect that liquid brines are abundant beyond equatorial regions where atmospheric humidity is higher and temperatures are lower.At the appropriate range of relative humidity and temperature, perchlorates (ClO 4 − ) deliquesce into the aqueous phase creating brines (that is, solutions of salt in water) that are stable in the liquid state. Deliquescence 6,7 occurs when, simultaneously, the ambient relative humidity (RH) is above the deliquescent relative humidity (DRH) of the deliquescent salt and the ambient temperature (T ) is above the eutectic temperature (T e ) of the resulting solution. The stability of transient aqueous salt solutions on Mars was first postulated in the 1960s 10 , and has been inferred from indirect observations at polar and near-polar regions 7,11 . The present-day activity of equatorial recurring slope lineae has been attributed to seasonal flow of brines 2 ( Supplementary Fig. 1). Nevertheless, on the basis of the large-scale predictions of global circulation models (GCMs) and the remote-sensing large-scale observation of RH and T , it is believed that deliquescence conditions could be theoretically reached on the surface of Mars only poleward of ±60 • and only during the northern spring 11,12 (when the water vapour content of the martian atmosphere peaks 13 ). Transiently stable liquid water in the form of brines was unexpected at an equatorial region 11 such as Gale (4.6 • S, 137.4 • E, at 4.5 km below the datum), where the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) landed and has been operating since 6 August 2012.However, here we show that the RH, air temperature (T a ) and ground temperature (T g ) observations at Gale by the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station 14 (REMS) on the Curiosity rover at the MSL mission 15 are compatible with the presence of liquid brines during night time due to the increased RH associated with night-time ...

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Transient liquid water and water activity at Gale crater on Mars

et al. 2015

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“…As for the presence of liquid water in current days, besides the RSL reports previously mentioned, recent research suggests that there might be thin liquid water layers in the surface of the planet in present times, after condensation and for short periods [19] Moreover, Kereszturi and Appéré [20] suggested that "good chance exists for the presence of liquid interfacial water in the warmest part of the day in the northern hemisphere of Mars at extended areas-although firm evidence requires better targeted future observations".…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Weathering Processes on Martian Craters: Implications on Recurring Slope Lineae and the Location of Liquid Water

García‐Chevesich¹,

Bendek²,

Pizarro³

et al. 2017

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Recent attention has been put into recurring slope lineae (RSL), after the discovery that water is present in them. It is assumed that RSL are due to flowing water. However, even though that might be the case, the general characteristics of RSL as well as their seasonal and spatial distribution in Mars, and their occurrence within craters, suggest that RSL correspond to the weathering of frozen aquifers, which coincides with slope stability processes occurring in impact craters and scree slopes from Earth. In this study, we associated RSL with similar weathering processes occurring on impact craters and hydrogeological processes occurring on Earth (including ice, water, and wind erosion and natural aquifer recharge processes). We were able to create a conceptual model on how RSL develop, why are they found mostly in mid latitudes around craters, why are they present in more frequency in one side of crates in high latitudes, and why are there more RSL in the Martian southern hemisphere. Considering the whole hydrogeological processes occurring in craters that experience RSL, we were able to predict where large quantities of liquid water are most likely to be present in the red planet.

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“…As the aim here is only the analysis of possible decomposition pathways in the thin water layer, detailed description of the spectroscopic and temperature observations can be found in the previous work of Kereszturi and Rivera-Valentin (2012), and also of Kereszturi and Appere (2014). The basic temperature parameters we used in this work for the computations are 200-220 K for the southern hemisphere and 180-200 K for the large northern water ice ring during the warm part of a Martian day.…”

Section: Background Information and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At the southern hemisphere on Mars, at the area of seasonal cap water ice without carbon dioxide ice cover can be observed in small patches (Schmidt et al, 2009) during springtime, when the seasonal cap is receding. These water ice patches occur above all at the outer ring-like area of the so-called Dark Dune Spots (Kereszturi and Rivera-Valentin, 2012). Such water ice covered small areas were identified in Richardson crater (72S 179E) between Ls¼200 and 220 when the daily maximal temperature was between 190 and 220 K (Figs.…”

Section: Overview Of Current Knowledgementioning

confidence: 95%