Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2002
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2002agufm.p72c..07h&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2002, abstract #P72C-07
Physics
5462 Polar Regions
Scientific paper
The annual recession of the north polar cap of Mars has been studied with Viking IRTM and MAWD instruments and, more recently, with MOC, TES, and MOLA instruments on the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft. Discrepancies between certain of these measurements have been attributed to a band of water ice that accompanies and lags behind the retreat of the CO2 seasonal cap. This "migration" would transport heat by transfer of latent heat of sublimation and condensation -- a far more efficient process for achieving local thermal equilibrium than atmospheric convection under martian conditions. Related considerations suggest that the form of this migrating water will be low density hoarfrost, which could average centimeters in thickness at the highest latitudes. Local coldtrapping in sheltered locations could further concentrate these seasonal deposits into drifts where, with sufficient heating, localized melting may be possible.
Aharonson Oded
Bridges Nathan T.
Hecht Michael H.
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