[astro-ph.EP] We present the first 3-D Global Climate Model simulations of an oxygen-rich, terraformed Mars.
Assuming an O2-CO2 atmosphere, with additional warming from a well-mixed grey gas, we study (1) how surface temperatures change with atmospheric pressure and grey gas opacity, and (2) how temperature, pressure, and other effects limit life as oxygen builds up. We neglect the climate effects of dust and the water cycle, as well as possible soil-chemistry and nutrient limits to life.
We find that (1) increasing grey gas opacity and increasing atmospheric pressure both moderate day-night temperature swings, but only slightly reduce seasonal temperature swings. Climate remains harsher in the Southern mid-latitudes relative to the Northern hemisphere. (2) For an atmospheric pressure of 30 hPa (5 times its present-day value), temperatures on Mars would be consistent with lichen and moss, followed at 60 hPa by forests (initially in the Hellas Basin).
However, creating a human-breathable atmosphere through photosynthesis alone, at the oxygen production rates of biomes on Earth today, would take at least thousands of years, and require more oxygen than can be made via photosynthesis of known CO2 reserves on Mars alone (unless CO2 is recycled).
Ashwin S. Braude, Edwin S. Kite, Preston Cosslett Kemeny, Raymond T. Pierrehumbert, Alexandre Kling, Michael A. Mischna
Subjects: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP); Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics (physics.ao-ph); Geophysics (physics.geo-ph)
Cite as: arXiv:2611.13321 [astro-ph.EP] (or arXiv:2611.13321v1 [astro-ph.EP] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2611.13321
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Submission history
From: Ashwin Braude
[v1] Mon, 9 Nov 2026 22:43:08 UTC (5,152 KB)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2611.13321
Astrobiology, Terraforming,
