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Geological Evidence of Planet-Wide Groundwater System on Mars
Ori, Gian Gabriele; Salese, Francesco; Pondrelli, Monica +2 more
The scale of groundwater upwelling on Mars, as well as its relation to sedimentary systems, remains an ongoing debate. Several deep craters (basins) in the northern equatorial regions show compelling signs that large amounts of water once existed on Mars at a planet-wide scale. The presence of water-formed features, including fluvial Gilbert and s…
Independent confirmation of a methane spike on Mars and a source region east of Gale Crater
Cardesín-Moinelo, Alejandro; Marín-Yaseli de la Parra, Julia; Aoki, Shohei +11 more
Reports of methane detection in the Martian atmosphere have been intensely debated. The presence of methane could enhance habitability and may even be a signature of life. However, no detection has been confirmed with independent measurements. Here, we report a firm detection of 15.5 ± 2.5 ppb by volume of methane in the Martian atmosphere above G…
Mars atmospheric chemistry simulations with the GEM-Mars general circulation model
Daerden, F.; Neary, L.; Viscardy, S. +5 more
General Circulation Models with interactive physical and chemistry processes are the state-of-the-art tools for an integrated view and understanding of the Martian atmosphere and climate system. The GEM-Mars model currently includes 16 tracers for chemical composition and applies a fully online, interactive calculation of the photo- and gas phase …
The Onset and Growth of the 2018 Martian Global Dust Storm
Sánchez-Lavega, A.; Delcroix, M.; Hernández-Bernal, J. +1 more
We analyze the onset and initial expansion of the 2018 Martian Global Dust Storm (GDS 2018) using ground-based images in the visual range. This is the first case of a confirmed GDS initiating in the Northern Hemisphere. A dusty area extending about 1.4×105 km2 and centered at latitude +31.7°±1.8° and west longitude 18°±5°W in…
A Diverse Array of Fluvial Depositional Systems in Arabia Terra: Evidence for mid-Noachian to Early Hesperian Rivers on Mars
Williams, Rebecca M. E.; Fawdon, Peter; Grindrod, Peter M. +4 more
Branching to sinuous ridges systems, hundreds of kilometers in length and comprising layered strata, are present across much of Arabia Terra, Mars. These ridges are interpreted as depositional fluvial channels, now preserved as inverted topography. Here we use high-resolution image and topographic data sets to investigate the morphology of these d…
Automated crater detection on Mars using deep learning
Lee, Christopher
Impact crater cataloging is an important tool in the study of the geological history of planetary bodies in the Solar System, including dating of surface features and geologic mapping of surface processes. Catalogs of impact craters have been created by a diverse set of methods over many decades, including using visible or near infra-red imagery a…
MAVEN and MEX Multi-instrument Study of the Dayside of the Martian Induced Magnetospheric Structure Revealed by Pressure Analyses
André, N.; Fedorov, A.; Barabash, S. +9 more
A combination of statistical studies and 18 case studies have been used to investigate the structure of the induced Martian magnetosphere. The different plasma and magnetic pressure forces on the dayside of the induced magnetosphere of Mars have been studied using 3.5 years of Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) and Mars Express (MEX) o…
A deep groundwater origin for recurring slope lineae on Mars
Heggy, Essam; Abotalib, Abotalib Z.
The recurring slope lineae on Mars have been hypothesized to originate from snow melting, deliquescence, dry flow or shallow groundwater. Except for the dry flow origin, these hypotheses imply the presence of surficial or near-surface volatiles, placing the exploration and characterization of potential habitable environments within the reach of ex…
Origin of the Extended Mars Radar Blackout of September 2017
Leblanc, François; Witasse, Olivier; Sánchez-Cano, Beatriz +13 more
The Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) onboard Mars Express, which operates between 0.1 and 5.5 MHz, suffered from a complete blackout for 10 days in September 2017 when observing on the nightside (a rare occurrence). Moreover, the Shallow Radar (SHARAD) onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which operates at 20…
The Martian Bow Shock Over Solar Cycle 23-24 as Observed by the Mars Express Mission
Holmström, M.; Wild, J. A.; Lester, M. +2 more
The Martian bow shock position is known to be correlated with solar extreme ultraviolet irradiance. Since this parameter is also correlated with the evolution of the solar cycle, it is expected that the Martian bow shock position should also vary over such a period. However, previous reports on this topic have often proved contradictory. Using 13 …