Water ice at low to midlatitudes on Mars

Abstract

In this paper, we analyze water ice occurrences at the surface of Mars using near-infrared observations, and we study their distribution with a climate model. Latitudes between 45°S and 50°N are considered. Data from the Observatoire pour la Minéralogie, l'Eau, les Glaces et l'Actitité and the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars are used to assess the presence of surface water ice as a function of location and season. A modeling approach combining the 1-D and 3-D versions of the General Circulation Model of the Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique de Jussieu is developed and successfully compared to observations. Ice deposits 2-200 μm thick are observed during the day on pole facing slopes in local fall, winter and early spring. Ice extends down to 13° latitude in the Southern Hemisphere but is restricted to latitudes higher than 32° in the north. On a given slope, the pattern of ice observations at the surface is mainly controlled by the global variability of atmospheric water (precipitation and vapor), with local ground properties playing a lower role. Only seasonal surface ice is observed: no exposed patches of perennial ground ice have been detected. Surface seasonal ice is however sensitive to subsurface properties: the results presented in this study are consistent with the recent discovery of low latitude subsurface ice obtained through the analysis of CO2 frost.

References in corpus (4)

• Near-tropical subsurface ice on Mars
• Recovery of surface reflectance spectra and evaluation of the optical depth of aerosols in the near-IR using a Monte-Carlo approach: Application to the OMEGA observations of high latitude regions of Mars
• Yearly and seasonal variations of low albedo surfaces on Mars in the OMEGA/MEx dataset: Constraints on aerosols properties and dust deposits
• Dust aerosols above the south polar cap of Mars as seen by OMEGA

Cited by in corpus (15)

• Dust aerosol, clouds, and the atmospheric optical depth record over 5 Mars years of the Mars Exploration Rover mission
• Seasonal melting and the formation of sedimentary rocks on Mars, with predictions for the Gale Crater mound
• Formation of recurring slope lineae on Mars by rarefied gas-triggered granular flows
• Identification of Mars gully activity types associated with ice composition
• Water ice in the dark dune spots of Richardson crater on Mars
• Localized precipitation and runoff on Mars
• Laboratory Experiments on the Radiation Astrochemistry of Water Ice Phases
• Chaos, storms and climate on Mars
• Modelling Slope Microclimates in the Mars Planetary Climate Model
• A Reappraisal of Subtropical Subsurface Water Ice Stability on Mars
• Identification of a new spectral signature at 3 $\mu$m over Martian northern high latitudes: implications for surface composition
• Diurnal and Seasonal Mapping of Martian Ices With EMIRS
• Observations of Water Frost on Mars with THEMIS: Application to the Presence of Brines and the Stability of (Sub)Surface Water Ice
• Modeling the formation of N2 and CH4 frost on Pluto's slopes
• On the Possibility of Melting Water Ice during the Recent Past of Mars: Application to the Formation of Gullies