NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Evaporation Rates for Liquid Water and Ice Under Current Martian ConditionsA number of studies have been concerned with the evaporation rates under martian conditions in order to place limits on the possible survival time of both liquid water and ice exposed on the surface of Mars. Such studies also aid in assessing the efficacy of an overlying layer of dust or loose regolith material in providing a barrier to free evaporation and thus prolong the lifetime of water in locations where its availability to putative living organisms would be significant. A better quantitative understanding of the effects of phase changes of water in the near surface environment would also aid the evaluation of the possible role of water in the formation of currently observed features, such as gullies in cliff walls and relatively short-term changes in the albedo of small surface areas ('dark stains'). Laboratory measurements aimed at refinement of our knowledge of these values are described here. The establishment of accurate values for evaporation rates and their dependence on the physical conditions of temperature, pressure and energy input, is an important benchmark for the further investigation of the efficacy of barriers to free evaporation in providing a prolonged period of survival of the water, particularly as a liquid.
Document ID
20040055914
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Sears, D. W. G.
(Arkansas-Oklahoma Center for Space and Planetary Sciences United States)
Moore, S. R.
(Arkansas-Oklahoma Center for Space and Planetary Sciences United States)
Meier, A.
(Arkansas-Oklahoma Center for Space and Planetary Sciences United States)
Chittenden, J.
(Arkansas-Oklahoma Center for Space and Planetary Sciences United States)
Kareev, M.
(Arkansas-Oklahoma Center for Space and Planetary Sciences United States)
Farmer, C. B.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2004
Publication Information
Publication: Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Mars Polar Science and Exploration
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
Document Inquiry

Available Downloads

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