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The precise mechanisms by which martian hillside gullies erode and their dependence on the local environment remain subjects of debate. We studied three sharp rimmed craters in Noachis Terra and 37 gully profiles using Context Cam...
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The precise mechanisms by which martian hillside gullies erode and their dependence on the local environment remain subjects of debate. We studied three sharp rimmed craters in Noachis Terra and 37 gully profiles using Context Camera (CTX), Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) and High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) data. We analysed the gully topographic profiles of seven gullies and nine dry ravines. We measured slope properties using HRSC elevation data and used thermal inertia to infer material types of the gully sites. We compared these with three nearby Noachian age craters possessing crater wall slope angles within the range of previously observed gully formations. In-line with previous findings on individual gullies, we found that the slope angles of gullies in our study area consistently reflect the inherited slope angles of the host escarpment, suggesting that traditional slope-based evidence of fluvial activity in martian gullies needs to be placed in context of its local environment. We also observed a direct relationship between gully morphology and local composition of surface units. Martian gully features, and possibly method of erosion appeared heavily influenced by changes in underlying geology and presence of erodible sediment. Examples included gully shape changing in accordance with type of erodible sediment. We suggest that the degraded rims of gully-free Noachian craters precluded slope angles high enough to trigger creation of precursors to alcoves through mass wasting. Lack of these hollows has probably prevented the accumulation of enough ice-rich sediment for gullies to form in. Our analysis reveals that there is a complex interdependence between slope processes and the local environment, and global martian gully models may not work at the local scale. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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We use a general circulation model (Urata, R.A., Toon, O.B. [2013]. Icarus, submitted for publication) to simulate the martian hydrologic cycle, including the radiative effects of water-ice clouds. We find that the current observe...
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We use a general circulation model (Urata, R.A., Toon, O.B. [2013]. Icarus, submitted for publication) to simulate the martian hydrologic cycle, including the radiative effects of water-ice clouds. We find that the current observed hydrologic cycle can be duplicated by tuning the polar cap albedo. The hydrologic cycle is very sensitive to the size and albedo of the North Polar water-ice cap. The radiative effects of ice clouds on atmospheric temperatures can be significant. Simulations of an ancient climate were performed with a 500mb CO_2 atmosphere and a reduced solar constant. The results show that the climate is highly sensitive to the hydrologic cycle, and can range from cold and dry, to warm and wet depending on initial conditions, cloud particle size, precipitation rates, and cloud cover fraction. A warm climate is obtained by assuming cloud ice particles greater than or equal to 10μm, and by reducing the efficiency of precipitation to maximize the cloud optical thicknesses. The warm, wet climates have precipitation rates that are 10% of the present day Earth. While carbon dioxide plays only a minor role in creating warm temperatures, it is necessary to have more than 250mb of carbon dioxide in order to obtain these high temperatures for the conditions assumed in our simulations due to the need for heat transport to the poles.
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Hypotheses ranging from fluvial processes and debris flows to CO2 frost-lubricated or entirely dry flows have been proposed for the formation of martian gullies. In order to constrain these potential formation mechanisms, we mappe...
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Hypotheses ranging from fluvial processes and debris flows to CO2 frost-lubricated or entirely dry flows have been proposed for the formation of martian gullies. In order to constrain these potential formation mechanisms, we mapped the global distribution of gullies on Mars using >54,000 images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Context Camera (CTX) covering similar to 85% of the martian surface at a resolution of similar to 6 m/pixel. The results of this mapping effort confirm the results of studies using lower resolution and/or less areally extensive datasets that gullies are confined to the martian mid- to high-latitudes (similar to 30-80 degrees in both hemispheres). We also find a clear transition in gully orientation with increasing latitude, going from poleward-facing to equator-facing preference. In general, gullies are more developed on poleward-facing walls, and mid-latitude gullies are more developed than those at higher latitudes. Gullies are also found to be strongly correlated with regions of distinct thermophysical properties of sand- to pebble-sized grains, low albedo, and higher thermal inertia. These observations all point to climate, insolation, and thermal properties of the substrate playing key factors in gully formation on Mars, supporting either a melting ground ice or snowpack hypothesis as the source for water involved in gully formation. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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We introduce a new general circulation model for Mars.?Results are consistent with temperature, pressure, and boundary layer observations.?The model is freely available to interested users. We introduce and present results from a ...
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We introduce a new general circulation model for Mars.?Results are consistent with temperature, pressure, and boundary layer observations.?The model is freely available to interested users. We introduce and present results from a new general circulation model for Mars adapted from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) version 3.1 terrestrial model. The radiative transfer has been replaced with a two-stream correlated-k scheme with carbon dioxide gas absorption coefficients suited for Mars. A time-invariant dust field is assumed with a Conrath (Conrath, B.J. [1975]. Icarus 24, 34-46) vertical distribution. Carbon dioxide is allowed to sublimate and condense at the surface, and the mass is removed from the atmosphere. The topography is averaged from MOLA data. The surface albedos and thermal inertias are derived from TES observations. The model is freely distributed to interested users.Comparisons between model temperatures, and spacecraft and Lander observations show agreement within ±10. K, depending on dust concentration. The annual pressure cycle is typically within 20. Pa of Viking Lander observations, however the model underestimates the surface pressure during southern summer, possibly due to increased dust activity that is not reflected in the model. Predicted model boundary layer depths are typically within a few hundred meters of observations, and tend to depend inversely on surface pressure, agreeing with observations.
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Decameter-scale polygons are extensively developed in the Bedded Fractured (BF) Unit of the lower Peace Vallis fan. The polygons occur in a likely extension of the Gillespie Lake Member, north of Yellowknife Bay, the section first...
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Decameter-scale polygons are extensively developed in the Bedded Fractured (BF) Unit of the lower Peace Vallis fan. The polygons occur in a likely extension of the Gillespie Lake Member, north of Yellowknife Bay, the section first drilled by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission. We examine hypotheses for the origin of these polygons to provide insight into the history of Gale crater.
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Transverse Aeolian Ridges (TARs), 10. m scale, ripple-like aeolian bedforms with simple morphology, are widespread on Mars but it is unknown what role they play in Mars' wider sediment cycle. We present the results of a survey of ...
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Transverse Aeolian Ridges (TARs), 10. m scale, ripple-like aeolian bedforms with simple morphology, are widespread on Mars but it is unknown what role they play in Mars' wider sediment cycle. We present the results of a survey of all Mars Global Surveyor Narrow angle images in a pole-to-pole study area, 45° longitude wide.Following on from the classification scheme and preliminary surveys of Balme et al. (Balme, M.R., Berman, D.C., Bourke, M.C., Zimbelman, J.R. [2008a]. Geomorphology 101, 703-720) and Wilson and Zimbelman (Wilson, S.A., Zimbelman, J.R. [2004]. J. Geophys. Res. 109 (E10). doi:. 10.1029/2004JE002247) we searched more than 10,000 images, and found that over 2000 reveal at least 5% areal cover by TARs. The mean TAR areal cover in the study area is about 7% (3% in the northern hemisphere and 11% in the southern hemisphere) but TARs are not homogenously distributed - they are concentrated in the mid-low latitudes and almost absent poleward of 35°N and 55°S. We found no clear correlation between TAR distribution and any of thermal inertia, kilometer-scale roughness, or elevation. We did find that TARs are less common at extremes of elevation.We found that TARs are most common near the equator (especially in the vicinity of Meridiani Planum, in which area they have a distinctive " barchan-like" morphology) and in large southern-hemisphere impact craters. TARs in the equatorial band are usually associated with outcrops of layered terrain or steep slopes, hence their relative absence in the northern hemisphere. TARs in the southern hemisphere are most commonly associated with low albedo, intercrater dune fields. We speculate that the mid-latitude mantling terrain (e.g., Mustard, J.F., Cooper, C.D., Rifkin, M.K. [2001]. Nature 412, 411-414; Kreslavsky, M.A., Head, J.W. [2002]. J. Geophys. Res. 29 (15). doi:. 10.1029/2002GL015392) could also play a role in covering TARs or inhibiting saltation.We compared TAR distribution with general circulation model (GCM) climate data for both surface wind shear stress and wind direction. We performed GCM runs at various obliquity values to simulate the effects of changing obliquity on recent Mars climate. We found good general agreement between TAR orientation and GCM wind directions from present day obliquity conditions in many cases, but found no good correlation between wind shear stress and TAR distribution.We performed preliminary high resolution crater count studies of TARs in both equatorial and southern intracrater dunefield settings and compared these to superposition relationships between TARs and large dark dunes. Our results show that TARs near dunefield appear to be younger than TARs in the equatorial regions. We infer that active saltation from the large dunes keeps TARs active, but that TARs are not active under present day condition when distal to large dunes - perhaps supporting the interpretation that TARs are granule ripples.We conclude that local geology, rather than wind strength, controls TAR distribution, but that their orientation matches present-day regional wind patterns in most cases. We suggest that TARs are likely most (perhaps only) active today when they are proximal to large dark dune fields.
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Hypotheses accounting for the formation of concentric crater fill (CCF) on Mars range from ice-free processes (e.g., aeolian fill), to ice-assisted talus creep, to debris-covered glaciers. Based on analysis of new CTX and HiRISE d...
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Hypotheses accounting for the formation of concentric crater fill (CCF) on Mars range from ice-free processes (e.g., aeolian fill), to ice-assisted talus creep, to debris-covered glaciers. Based on analysis of new CTX and HiRISE data, we find that concentric crater fill (CCF) is a significant component of Amazonian-aged glacial landsystems on Mars. We present mapping results documenting the nature and extent of CCF along the martian dichotomy boundary over -30 to 90°E latitude and 20-80°N longitude. On the basis of morphological analysis we classify CCF landforms into " classic" CCF and " low-definition" CCF. Classic CCF is most typical in the middle latitudes of the analysis area (～30-50°N), while a range of degradation processes results in the presence of low-definition CCF landforms at higher and lower latitudes. We evaluate formation mechanisms for CCF on the basis of morphological and topographic analyses, and interpret the landforms to be relict debris-covered glaciers, rather than ice-mobilized talus or aeolian units. We examine filled crater depth-diameter ratios and conclude that in many locations, hundreds of meters of ice may still be present under desiccated surficial debris. This conclusion is consistent with the abundance of " ring-mold craters" on CCF surfaces that suggest the presence of near-surface ice. Analysis of breached craters and distal glacial deposits suggests that in some locations, CCF-related ice was once several hundred meters higher than its current level, and has sublimated significantly during the most recent Amazonian. Crater counts on ejecta blankets of filled and unfilled craters suggests that CCF formed most recently between ～60 and 300. Ma, consistent with the formation ages of other martian debris-covered glacial landforms such as lineated valley fill (LVF) and lobate debris aprons (LDA). Morphological analysis of CCF in the vicinity of LVF and LDA suggests that CCF is a part of an integrated LVF/LDA/CCF glacial landsystem. Instances of morphological continuity between CCF, LVF, and LDA are abundant. The presence of formerly more abundant CCF ice, coupled with the integration of CCF into LVF and LDA, suggests the possibility that CCF represents one component of the significant Amazonian mid-latitude glaciation(s) on Mars.
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Craters within Arabia Terra, Mars, contain hundreds of meters of layered strata showing systematic alternation between slope- and cliff-forming units, suggesting either rhythmic deposition of distinct lithologies or similar lithol...
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Craters within Arabia Terra, Mars, contain hundreds of meters of layered strata showing systematic alternation between slope- and cliff-forming units, suggesting either rhythmic deposition of distinct lithologies or similar lithologies that experienced differential cementation. On Earth, rhythmically deposited strata can be examined in terms of stratal packaging, wherein the interplay of tectonics, sediment deposition, and base level (i.e., the position above which sediment accumulation is expected to be temporary) result in changes in the amount of space available for sediment accumulation. These predictable patterns of sediment deposition can be used to infer changes in basin accommodation regardless of the mechanism of deposition (e.g. fluvial, lacustrine, or aeolian). Here, we analyze sedimentary deposits from three craters (Becquerel Crater, Danielson Crater, Crater A) in Arabia Terra. Each crater contains layered deposits that are clearly observed in orbital images. Although orbital images are insufficient to specifically determine the origin of sedimentary deposits, depositional couplets can be interpreted in terms of potential accommodation space available for deposition, and changes in the distribution of couplet thickness through stratigraphy can be interpreted in terms of changing base level and the production of new accommodation space. Differences in stratal packaging in these three craters suggest varying relationships between sedimentary influx, sedimentary base level, and concomitant changes in accommodation space. Previous groundwater upwelling models hypothesize that layered sedimentary deposits were deposited under warm climate conditions of early Mars. Here, we use observed stacking patterns to propose a model for deposition under cold climate conditions, wherein episodic melting of ground ice could raise local base level, stabilize sediment deposition, and result in differential cementation of accumulated strata. Such analysis demonstrates that a first-order understanding of sedimentary deposition and accumulation despite a lack of textural information that inhibits interpretation of depositional mechanism can provide insight into potentially changeable depositional conditions of early Mars. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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The fan-shaped deposit (FSD) on the western and northwestern flanks of Arsia Mons is the remnant of tropical mountain glaciers, deposited several tens to hundreds of millions of years ago during periods of high spin-axis obliquity...
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The fan-shaped deposit (FSD) on the western and northwestern flanks of Arsia Mons is the remnant of tropical mountain glaciers, deposited several tens to hundreds of millions of years ago during periods of high spin-axis obliquity. Previous workers have argued that the Smooth Fades in the FSD contains a core of ancient glacial ice. Here, we find evidence that additional glacial ice remains preserved within several other landforms in the Smooth Facies and Ridged Facies. These include landforms that we interpret as kame and kettle topography on the basis of their distribution, size, and morphologies ranging progressively from knobs to degraded knobs to pits. We argue that some moraines in the Ridged Facies are ice-cored on the basis of their interactions with lava flows and the axial troughs at the crests of some moraines. We also argue that dunes with axial troughs, found in and surrounding the FSD, are the remnants of sediment-covered snow dunes formed by reworking of snow or glacial ice, and that the axial troughs form as tension cracks in the sediment and deepen by sublimation of the underlying ice. Long-term preservation of water ice in equatorial environments is assisted by a meters- to decameters-thick debris cover (lag) formed from sublimation of dirty ice, as well as burial beneath volcanic tephra and aeolian deposits. This ancient ice could contain preserved biosignatures, provide information on Martian climate and atmospheric history, and serve as a resource for human exploration. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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A climate model of intermediate complexity, named the Mars Climate Simulator, has been developed based on the Portable University Model of the Atmosphere (PUMA). The main goal of this new development is to simulate the climate var...
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A climate model of intermediate complexity, named the Mars Climate Simulator, has been developed based on the Portable University Model of the Atmosphere (PUMA). The main goal of this new development is to simulate the climate variations on Mars resulting from the changes in orbital parameters and their impact on the layered polar terrains (also known as permanent polar ice caps). As a first step towards transient simulations over several obliquity cycles, the model is applied to simulate the dynamical and thermodynamical response of the Martian climate system to different but fixed obliquity angles. The model is forced by the annual and daily cycle of solar insolation. Experiments have been performed for obliquities of φ = 15°(minimum), φ = 25.2°(present), and φ = 35°(maximum). The resulting changes in solar insolation mainly in the polar regions impact strongly on the cross-equatorial circulation which is driven by the meridional temperature gradient and steered by the Martian topography. At high obliquity, the cross-equatorial near surface flow from the winter to the summer hemisphere is strongly enhanced compared to low obliquity periods. The summer ground temperature ranges from 200 K (φ = 15°) to 250 K (φ = 35°) at 80°N in northern summer, and from 220 K (φ = 15°) to 270 K (φ = 35°) at 80°S in southern summer. In the atmosphere at 1 km above ground, the respective range is 195-225 K in northern summer, and 210-250 K in southern summer.
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