Quasi-steady-state Model of Subsurface Ice on Mars through Obliquity Variation

Details Quasi-steady-state Model of Subsurface Ice on Mars through Obliquity Variation Quasi-steady-state Model of Subsurface Ice on Mars through Obliquity Variation

Oct 2010

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010dps....42.3025b&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #42, #30.25

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

Stability and evolution of subsurface ice is relevant to the understanding of past and current Mars geology and climatology. The effect of subsurface water vapor reaching a diffusive steady-state is considered here. As long as deep water is present (as ancient ice, groundwater, or dehydrating minerals), water vapor will diffuse from the subsurface towards the atmosphere (i.e. the spatial location of lower vapor density) and recondense as ice as it experiences colder temperatures near the surface. This process allows the occurrence of stable subsurface ice at lower latitudes and greater depths than the near-surface ice in equilibrium with atmospheric water vapor. One aspect of our investigation is updating a previous steady-state model from Mellon and Jakosky [1993, 1995] and Mellon et al. [1997] with newer expressions for thermal conductivity and tortuosity. Also considered are the effects of latent heat (i.e. heat of vaporization and condensation) which may have a significant role in this process. Theoretical models of thermal conductivity are especially important as variation in conductivity is based on the ice content in the porous media (e.g. Martian regolith). The model is then applied to a larger scale in determining ice allocation for a hypothetical Martian hemisphere. By changing orbital parameters, such as obliquity, we can see the effects made on the location, depth, and density of ice beneath the Martian surface.

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