Tag Archives: Marss

Planetary Scientists Discover Seasonal Ozone Layers Formed by Mars’s Arctic Vortex

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Polar water is generated during the Martian season, which occurs due to the planet’s axis being tilted at an angle of 25.2 degrees, as explained by Dr. Kevin Olsen from Oxford and his colleagues at Latmos, CNRS, CNRS, Space Research Institute, Open University, and NASA.

This perspective view of Mars’ Arctic Ice Cap showcases its unique dark troughs arranged in a spiral pattern. The image is derived from observations made by ESA’s Mars Express, utilizing elevation data from NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor’s Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter. Image credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin/NASA/MGS/MOLA Science team.

“The polar vortex’s atmosphere, extending from near the surface to around 30 km high, experiences extremely low temperatures, approximately 40 degrees Celsius lower than the surrounding area,” stated Dr. Olsen.

“In such frigid conditions, most of the water vapor in the atmosphere freezes and accumulates in the ice cap, resulting in ozone formation within the vortex.”

Normally, ozone is destroyed by reacting with molecules generated when ultraviolet radiation decomposes water vapor.

However, once all water vapor is depleted, there are no reactive molecules left for ozone, allowing it to accumulate in the vortex.

“Ozone plays a crucial role for Mars. It is a reactive form of oxygen that indicates the pace of chemical reactions occurring in the atmosphere,” Olsen noted.

“By investigating the levels of ozone and their variances, we gain insight into how the atmosphere evolves over time and whether Mars once had a protective ozone layer similar to Earth.”

Slated for launch in 2028, ESA’s Rosalind Franklin Rover aims to uncover evidence of life that may have existed on Mars.

The possibility that Mars had a protective ozone layer, safeguarding its surface against harmful ultraviolet radiation from space, enhances the likelihood of ancient life-sustaining conditions on the planet billions of years ago.

Polar vortices are produced during the Martian season as a consequence of the axial tilt of 25.2 degrees.

Similar to Earth, an atmospheric vortex forms above Mars’ North Pole at the end of summer and persists through spring.

On Earth, polar vortices can destabilize, losing their structure and shifting southward, often bringing cold weather to mid-latitudes.

A similar phenomenon can occur with Mars’ polar water vortex, which provides an opportunity to explore its internal dynamics.

“Studying the Northern Pole’s winter on Mars presents challenges due to the absence of sunlight, akin to conditions on Earth,” Dr. Olsen explained.

“By analyzing the vortex, one can differentiate between observations made inside and outside it, providing insight into ongoing phenomena.”

The atmospheric chemical suite aboard ESA’s trace gas orbiter examines Mars’ atmosphere by capturing sunlight filtered through the planet’s limb while the sun is positioned behind it.

The specific wavelengths of absorbed sunlight reveal which molecules are present in the atmosphere and their altitudes above the surface.

Nonetheless, this method is ineffective during the complete winter darkness on Mars when the sun does not illuminate the Arctic region.

The only chance to observe the vortex is during moments when its circular shape is lost, but additional data is required to pinpoint when and where this occurs.

To enhance their research, the scientists utilized NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s Mars Climate Sounder instrument, measuring temperature variations to gauge the vortex’s extent.

“We sought sudden drops in temperature, which indicate entry into the vortex,” Dr. Olsen noted.

“By comparing ACS observations with data from Mars’ climate sounders, we observed significant atmospheric differences within the vortex compared to the surrounding air.”

“This presents a fascinating opportunity to deepen our understanding of Mars’ atmospheric chemistry and how polar night conditions shift as ozone accumulates.”

The findings were presented at the EPSC-DPS2025 Joint Meeting in Helsinki, Finland, this month.

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K. Olsen et al. 2025. What’s happening in the Arctic Vortex of Mars? EPSC Abstract 18: EPSC-DPS2025-1438; doi: 10.5194/epsc-dps2025-1438

Source: www.sci.news

Mars’s inner core could be solid

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A team of researchers from Bayerisches Geoinstitut conducted high-pressure temperature laboratory experiments to determine the crystal structure and density of the iron sulfide phase in the Mars core.

man et al. The formula shows that the high pressure iron sulfide phase is fe4+xs3 It has a higher density than the liquid Mars core, and its fe4+xs3 When the temperature drops below 1960 K at the center of Mars, the inner core crystallizes. Image credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Maryland.

Like Earth's core, Mars' core is expected to be made up of molten ferrous metals.

However, the density is low, indicating that the Mars core must contain rich amounts of additional lighter elements, such as sulfur.

Previously, it was thought that the temperature of the Martian core would likely be too high for the solid inner core to crystallize, but the possibility of the iron sulfide mineral that forms the inner core was not examined in detail.

“Observations from NASA's insight mission reveal that Mars' core is enriched in the light element, as Mars' nuclei appears to be significantly lower than the density of iron-nickel alloys,” said Leangie, a researcher at Geoinstitut at Bayerish.

“From a cosmic perspective and geochemical considerations, candidate light elements in the Mars core include sulfur, oxygen, carbon and hydrogen.”

“In particular, sulfur is the most common moderately volatile element of the solar nebulae, and is the “iron-loving” behavior during core mantle differentiation, and is therefore often emphasized as a possible main component of the Mars core, as Mars' core formation is not extended enough or is not at the height of silicon or oxycone.

“Earthquake and Lander radio science data from the Insight mission confirmed that Mars has a flow core, but now geophysical basis cannot rule out the presence of a solid inner core.”

“In addition, geophysical observations, when combined with the physical interpretation of the appropriate minerals, provide not only essential constraints on internal composition and temperature, but also provide the mechanism that initiated and terminated the magnetic field of early Mars.”

In their study, scientists conducted high-pressure temperature lab experiments to determine the crystal structure and density of the iron sulfide phase in the Mars core.

They suggest that the temperature at the center of Mars should be below about 1,960 Kelvin, which is within the estimated range of this region.

Further geophysical measurements are required to confirm the actual presence of the core inside solid Mars.

“But our work supports the potential of a solid inner Mars core today, after Mars has been cooled further, or in the near future,” the author said.

Their paper Published in the journal Natural Communication.

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L. Mann et al. 2025. Structure and stability of Fe4+xs3 And the possibility of forming the inner core of Mars. Nut commune 16, 1710; doi:10.1038/s41467-025-56220-2

Source: www.sci.news

Sand dunes and ice formations found in Mars’s north pole by Mars Express

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new images from high resolution stereo camera (HRSC) On ESA's Mars Express spacecraft It shows the terrain surrounding Mars's permanent ice cap at its north pole.

This image from ESA's Mars Express shows an area close to Mars' north pole. This image consists of data collected by Mars Express' High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on April 14, 2023. Image credit: ESA / DLR / FU Berlin.

Mars' permanent north polar ice cap is a stack of water ice and dust layers up to 3 km thick and approximately 1,000 km in diameter.

These are divided into four stacked “packets” of different thicknesses, which are further composed of finer layers.

These layers contain information about the climate going back millions of years in Mars' history.

The deposits were formed by precipitation of dust and water ice in the atmosphere and by direct frost formation.

These consist primarily of water ice, with fine dust deposits accounting for 10-15% of the total.

These likely reflect changes in Mars' orbit and the tilt of Mars' axis of rotation, which is much more unstable than Earth's orientation.

It changes in several cycles with periods ranging from thousands of years to millions of years.

Changes in solar radiation cause significant changes in climate, especially in the polar regions. The Arctic ice sheet is currently thought to be growing.

“The landforms surrounding Mars' north pole, known as pranum boriumfascinating,” said a member of the Mars Express team.

“The poles themselves are covered with a layer of fine dust and water ice. These stack up several kilometers thick and extend for about 1,000 kilometers.”

“Most of this material is not visible here, but you can see the beginning of the planum boreum on the right side of the frame. There are some subtle wrinkles that indicate where layers of material are starting to accumulate.”

“The ground has also become more distinctly stepped, as most clearly seen in the topographical map of the area below.”

“The lowest elevation areas are blue/green, and the highest elevation areas are red/white/brown.”

“These layers formed as a mixture of dust, water ice, and frost that accumulated on the Martian ground over a long period of time.”

“Each layer contains valuable information about Mars' history, telling us how the planet's climate has changed over the past millions of years.”

“During the Martian winter, a thin cap of carbon dioxide ice several meters thick rests on top of that layer. This cap completely disappears into the atmosphere each year during the Martian summer.”

The left side of the image is dominated by a vast strip of undulating sand dunes, extending over 150 km within this frame alone.

This wrinkled, turbulent appearance is very different from the smoother, more primitive terrain seen on the right.

This smooth area shows no obvious signs of erosion and has been spared from being hit by rocks from space. This indicates that the surface is very young and is probably getting younger every year.

“Between these two extremes are two semicircular cliffs, the larger of which is approximately 20 km wide,” the researchers said.

“Within the curves of these cliffs are frost-covered dunes.”

“The sheer scale of the cliffs is evident from the dark shadow they cast on the ground below. Sheer walls of ice can reach up to a kilometer in height.”

“These two cliffs are located in what's called a polar trough, a landform formed when wind pushes and wears down the earth's surface.”

“These appear as wavy ridges in the landscape and are common in this region, creating the characteristic spiral pattern of the polar plateau.”

Source: www.sci.news