Scientists have discovered early morning frost on top of giant volcanoes on Mars, according to a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience on June 10.
This surprising discovery about water dispersion on the Red Planet could be crucial for future human exploration missions to Mars.
Scientists have recorded this interesting phenomenon through images taken by the European Space Agency (ESA) Trace Gas probe. The giant volcanoes are located in the 5,000 km wide Tharsis plateau near the Martian equator. These volcanoes have been extinct for millions of years. Notable among them is the largest volcano in the Solar System, Olympus Mons, which is nearly three times higher than Mount Everest.
Adomas Valantinas, a scientist at Brown University in the US, the lead author of the study, said that the discovery of frost in the area around the Martian equator was completely accidental and unexpected. According to him, scientists thought that frost could not form around the equator of Mars because this area has a lot of sunlight and a thin atmosphere, so the temperature is relatively warm - unlike on Earth, where frost can form on high mountain peaks. In addition, there is very little water in the atmosphere near the Martian equator, so the possibility of condensation is low.
Previous space probes have observed frost in wetter regions of Mars, notably the northern plains, said study co-author Frederic Schmidt of the University of Paris-Saclay in France.
The Trace Gas probe captured the first rays of sunlight shining over the tops of the mountains. Scientists saw a shimmering blue layer of ice, a unique texture that is only visible in the early morning and during the cold season. According to the ESA, the ice is as thin as a human hair and is short-lived.
However, the ESA estimates that there are around 150,000 tonnes of water – the equivalent of 60 Olympic-sized swimming pools – in frost that forms every day on the summits of Olympus Mons, Arsia Mons, Ascraeus Mons and Ceraunius Tholus.
Researchers believe the frost is caused by a climatic phenomenon inside the crater. Strong winds blowing along the sides of the volcano carry relatively moist air from near the surface to high altitudes, where it condenses into frost. Scientist Nicolas Thomas said scientists have observed this phenomenon on Earth as well as other regions on Mars.
Modeling how frost forms could help scientists uncover more of the Red Planet's secrets, such as where water exists and how it moves between reservoirs, which could have important implications for future human missions to Mars, according to the ESA.
According to Linh To/VNA
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