Mars\u2019 axis and its orbital precession<\/a> \u2013 or how the planet\u2019s elliptical orbit\u00a0rotates\u00a0around the Sun over time \u2013 with unprecedented resolution and confidence.<\/p>\nThe results from this study provided scientists a different insight into how Mars\u2019 climate has altered over time. While the study is limited to Mars\u2019 recent past, establishing these climate-orbit relationships helps scientists in gaining a deeper understanding into Martian climate deeper in the past, which could aid in pinpointing periods of potential habitability.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was unexpected how cleanly those patterns matched to the orbital cycles,\u201d explained Michael Sori, lead author and Planetary Scientist at Purdue University. \u201cIt was just such a perfect match, as good as you can ask for.\u201d<\/p>\n
How has past research contributed to this study?<\/h3>\n In previous investigations<\/span>,<\/span> Martian climate scientists have focused on polar ice caps, which span hundreds of kilometres. <\/span>However, researchers have noted that<\/span> these deposits are old and may have lost ice over time, <\/span>meaning <\/span>fine details that are necessary to confidently establish connections between the planet\u2019s orientation and motion and its climate<\/span> are lost<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThus, building on this past research, Sori and his team turned to the ice mounds inside the craters, which were just tens of kilometres wide, but much fresher and potentially less complicated. After scouring much of the Southern hemisphere, they pinpointed Burroughs\u2019s crater, which is 74 kilometres wide, and has exceptionally well-preserved layers visible from NASA HiRISE imagery.<\/p>\n
The researchers analysed the layers\u2019 thicknesses, as well as their shapes, and discovered that they had strikingly similar patterns to two important Martian orbital dynamics \u2013 the tilt of Mars\u2019 axis and the orbital precession, over the last four to five million years.<\/p>\n
This discovery is an<\/span> improve<\/span>ment<\/span> on previous<\/span>ly conducted<\/span> research, which used Mars\u2019 polar ice records of climate to establish tentative connections to orbit. But those records were too <\/span>\u2018<\/span>complicated,<\/span>\u2019<\/span> to confidently connect the two. Younger, cleaner crater ice <\/span>results in <\/span>less complicated climate records, which the researchers used to match climate changes to orbital precession and tilt with a high level of precision.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHow does this aid in our understanding of Mars\u2019 climate?<\/h3>\n Discerning the connections that exist between the orbital cycles and Mars\u2019 climate is important for understanding both Martian history and complex climate dynamics on Earth. \u201cMars is a natural laboratory for studying orbital controls on climate,\u201d Sori commented, because many of the complicating factors that exist on Earth \u2014 like biology and tectonics \u2014 are negligible on Mars. The whole planet, in essence, isolates the variable for scientists.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we are ever going to understand climate, we need to go to places that do not have these interfering factors,\u201d said Isaac Smith, Planetary Scientist at the Planetary Science Institute at York University who was not involved in the study.<\/p>\n
\u201cMars is a pristine planet. And there are a lot of potential applications here. Mars has a lot more in common with Pluto and Triton than you think.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing able to pull a climate signal from a small ice deposit is a really cool result,\u201d added Riley McGlasson, Purdue University scientist, and co-author who applied this method in the new study. \u201cWith radar, we can get closer to the full story. That is why I am excited to take this a step further in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Additionally, it has been noted that not all smaller ice deposits have clean, exposed layers at their surface. Some might be hidden inside the mounds. Sori concluded: \u201cThe goal is to sample ice cores like scientists do on Earth, but Mars rovers do not have that capability yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead, scientists can use ground-penetrating radar data to \u2018peer inside\u2019 the ice and check for layers, making sure visible layers extend throughout the deposit. It is a necessary quality-control step in the present study, and the method may help future explorations of Martian ice without layers visible at the surface.\u201d<\/p>\n
To keep up to date with our content,\u00a0subscribe for updates<\/a>\u00a0on our digital publication and newsletter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A collaborative research team, led by Purdue University, has discovered that mounts of ice in craters provide a new insight into Mars\u2019 climate history. Newly discovered deposits of layered ice in craters scattered around Mars\u2019 Southern hemisphere indicate that the planet\u2019s orientation has controlled its climate over the past four million years. This discovery means […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":19931,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[771],"tags":[818,801,3477],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Mars\u2019 climate history to determine potential habitability<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n