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Early Mars was wet but not warm: Erosion, fluvial features, liquid water habitats, and life below freezingThere is considerable evidence that Mars had liquid water early in its history and possibly at recurrent interval. It has generally been assumed that this implied that the climate was warmer as a result of a thicker CO2 atmosphere than at the present. However, recent models suggest that Mars may have had a thick atmosphere but may not have experienced mean annual temperatures above freezing. In this paper we report on models of liquid water formation and maintenance under temperatures well below freezing. Our studies are based on work in the north and south polar regions of Earth. Our results suggest that early Mars did have a thick atmosphere but precipitation and hence erosion was rare. Transient liquid water, formed under temperature extremes and maintained under thick ice covers, could account for the observed fluvial features. The main difference between the present climate and the early climate was that the total surface pressure was well above the triple point of water.
Document ID
19940017204
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Mckay, C. P. (NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Davis, W. L. (NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1993
Publication Information
Publication: Lunar and Planetary Inst., Workshop on Early Mars: How Warm and How Wet?, Part 1
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Exploration
Accession Number
94N21677
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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