Using MGS TES Data to Understand Water Cycling in Mars' North Polar RegionThe Martian water cycle is one of the three annual cycles on Mars, dust and CO2 being the other two. Despite the fact that detailed spacecraft data, including global and annual coverage in a variety of wavelengths, have been taken of Mars spanning more than 25 years, there are many outstanding questions regarding the water cycle. There is very little exposed water on Mars today, in either the atmosphere or on the surface although there is geological evidence of catastrophic flooding and continuously running water in past epochs in Mars' history as well as recent (within about 10,000 years ago) evidence for running water in the form of gullies. While there is little water in the atmosphere, water- ice clouds do form and produce seasonal clouds caused by general circulation and by storms. These clouds may in turn be controlling the cycling of the water within the general circulation.
Document ID
20030111127
Acquisition Source
Headquarters
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Tamppari, L. K. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Hale, A. S. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Bass, D. S. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Smith, M. D. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)