And while there is water in many locations on Mars, including the poles, astronomers have detected extraordinarily bright reflections under the formation of 1.4 km thick pure water ice by the Space Agency’s Mars orbiter. European.
But computer simulations created by a team at Cornell University indicate that another phenomenon, the overlap of geological layers on the Red Planet, could be the real cause of these reversals.
Strong reflections can be created in this simulation without liquid water or other rare materials, making it unlikely that there is liquid water under the sediments of the Martian South Pole.
The simulation consists of layers of four materials, the atmosphere, water ice, carbon dioxide ice and basalt, with computerized monitoring of the interaction of each layer with electromagnetic radiation.
Scientists have found that three layers, made up of two layers of carbon dioxide separated by a single layer of ice, can produce reflections like those seen on the planet’s surface.
“On Earth, light reflections are often an indication of liquid water, even in buried lakes like Lake Vostok (below the surface of the East Antarctic ice sheet, which was under 3 kilometers of ice for millions of years). But on Mars, the prevailing opinion was that it was too cold to form such lakes.
“I used layers of CO2 embedded in water ice because we know they are already present in large quantities near the surface of the ice sheet. In principle, I could have used rock layers or even dusty water ice and I would have had results. similar, “added Lalish.
The discovery of water on Mars is critical because it can be an indication of the presence of life there, as well as a resource that humans can use to develop an outpost.
Is there water on Mars? New research explores this mystery.
“Such bright reflections are often an indication of liquid water … But on Mars, the prevailing opinion was that it should be too cold for similar lakes to form,” says Dan Lalich. @CornellCAS.https://t.co/KMMi7E0klx
– Cornell University (@Cornell) October 3, 2022
“None of the work we have done refutes the possible presence of liquid water there,” explained Lalish. We just think that the stratified superposition hypothesis is more consistent with the other observations. “
Previous research published in January reinforces the idea that water does not exist under the pole, according to Cyril Grima, a planetary scientist at the University of Texas Geophysics Institute, who said: “The igneous rocks, buried under the ice, appear to be the most likely explanation, because the rich lava flows Iron on Earth can leave behind rocks that produce similar reflections and the same effect is likely to occur on our neighboring planet.
