NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
The Mars water cycle at other epochs: History of the polar caps and layered terrainThe atmospheric water cycle at the present epoch involves summertime sublimation of water from the north polar cap, transport of water through the atmosphere, and condensation on one or both winter CO2 caps. Exchange with the regolith is important seasonally, but the water content of the atmosphere appears to be controlled by the polar caps. The net annual transport through the atmosphere, integrated over long timescales, must be the driving force behind the long-term evolution of the polar caps; clearly, this feeds back into the evolution of the layered terrain. We have investigated the behavior of the seasonal water cycle and the net integrated behavior at the pole for the last 10 exp 7 years. Our model of the water cycle includes the solar input, CO2 condensation and sublimation, and summertime water sublimation through the seasonal cycles, and incorporates the long-term variations in the orbital elements describing the Martian orbit.
Document ID
19920019250
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Jakosky, Bruce M.
(Colorado Univ. Boulder, CO, United States)
Henderson, Bradley G.
(Colorado Univ. Boulder, CO, United States)
Mellon, Michael T.
(Colorado Univ. Boulder, CO, United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1992
Publication Information
Publication: Lunar and Planetary Inst., Papers Presented to the Workshop on the Evolution of the Martian Atmosphere
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Exploration
Accession Number
92N28493
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
Document Inquiry

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available