Small lakes on ancient Mars may have remained liquid for decades, even with average air temperatures well below freezing.
Using a climate model adapted for Martian conditions, a team of researchers from Rice University recently discovered that lakes in locations such as Gale Crater, near Mars's equator, could have persisted under thin seasonal ice for at least decades and likely as long as climate conditions were stable. These findings contribute to resolving a long-standing puzzle in Mars science: Surface features shaped by sustained liquid water coexist alongside climate models suggesting that early Mars was too cold to support such conditions.
The study, published in AGU Advances, offers a new explanation for how lakes might have existed without a warm climate and why ancient Martian lake beds are so well-preserved today.
"Seeing ancient lake basins on Mars without clear evidence of thick, long-lasting ice made me question whether those lakes could have held water for more than a single season in a cold climate," said Eleanor Moreland, a Rice graduate student and lead author of the study. "When our new model began showing lakes that could last for decades with only a thin, seasonally disappearing ice layer, it was exciting that we might finally have a physical mechanism that fits what we see on Mars today."
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