This image shows Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano not only on Mars but in the entire solar system. … [+]
Planetary scientists have long thought that Mars’ equatorial regions were too sunny and its atmosphere too thin to host frost or ice, but new images suggest otherwise.
A new article published in Natural Geosciences revealed that the European Space Agency’s ExoMars and Mars Express missions have spotted water frost for the first time near Mars’ equator, on the Tharsis volcanoes, the highest volcanoes in the solar system.
The region is home to the colossal Olympus Mons – three times larger than Mount Everest – and the shield volcanoes of Tharsis Montes.
This high-resolution image shows newly discovered frost at the summit of Olympus Mons, the highest … [+]
Exciting discovery
“We thought it was impossible for frost to form around Mars’ equator because the mix of sunshine and a thin atmosphere keeps temperatures relatively high both on the surface and on the mountaintop,” said lead author Adomas Valantinas, who made the discovery. did during a PhD. student at the University of Bern, Switzerland, and is now a postdoctoral researcher at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
“Its existence here is exciting and indicates that there are exceptional processes at play that allow frost to form,” he said.
Researchers have discovered ice on top of volcanoes near Mars’ equator for the first time … [+]
Unique microclimate
Mars is not like Earth, where icy peaks are common. Mars has low atmospheric pressure, meaning mountain peaks are about the same temperature as the plains. What the scientists think is happening is that moist air is blowing up mountainsides and condensing as frost in the colder calderas of the Tharsis volcanoes. The air circulates in such a way that it creates a microclimate never seen before.
The amount of frost found on Mars is equivalent to about 60 Olympic swimming pools. It has been detected in very thin spots, but covers a large area. It only exists for a few hours around sunrise before evaporating in sunlight.
This simulated oblique perspective shows Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano not only on Mars, but also on Mars … [+]
Overdue discovery?
The frost was discovered by ExoMars TGO and Mars Express, which have been conducting orbital science since 2018 and 2003 respectively. So why did it take so long to find this microclimate on Mars? “We need a track that allows us to observe a location in the early morning,” says Valantinas. Of the seven orbiters around Mars, all except ExoMars TGO and Mars Express are synchronized with the sun, so they can only study Mars in the afternoon.
But there is another reason. “Frost deposition is associated with colder seasons on Mars, making this even less likely,” Valantinas said. “We need to know where and when to look out for short-term frost. We happened to be looking for it near the equator for other research, but we didn’t expect to find it on the volcanic peaks of Mars.”
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