The South Polar residual cap (the part that lasts through the summer) is composed of carbon dioxide ice.
cryosphere
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Desert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Status Report, Terraforming & Geoengineering, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
A Slash Across Layered Deposits At Mars’ North Pole
Here, a straight-line feature cuts across many layers, seemingly changing their brightness and presumably indicating a major change in the layer properties.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Icy Worlds, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Press Release, Sample Return
Ice Planet Research: Six-million-year-old Antarctic Ice Offers Glimpse Into Warmer Era Of Earth’s Past
A team of scientists from several U.S. institutions, including the University of Minnesota, discovered six million year old ice in Antarctica — the oldest dated ice on the planet.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Europa, Exploration Gear & Tech, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Impact events, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Europa’s Spider-like Features And The Potential For Life
From Europa to other icy moons, scientists are studying how surface features form and what they might reveal about the potential for life.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Sample Return, Status Report
Subzero Cell Division, Respiration, And Genomic Traits Of Cryophilic Arthrobacter agilis Ant-EH-1 Isolated From Cold-arid Antarctic Mineral Soils
Arthrobacter are commonly isolated from cold soil environments globally, including those that regularly reach sub-freezing temperatures, suggesting that Arthrobacter have significant potential for growth and activity under temperature and stress […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release
Ice Planet Research: Antarctic Glacier Retreated Faster Than Any Other In Modern Earth History
A glacier on Antarctica’s Eastern Peninsula experienced the fastest retreat recorded in modern history—in just two months, nearly 50 percent of the glacier disintegrated.
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Cryobiology, Icy Worlds, Press Release
Six-million-year-old Ice Discovered In Antarctica Offers Unprecedented Window Into A Warmer Earth
A team of U.S. scientists has discovered the oldest directly dated ice and air on the planet in the Allan Hills region of East Antarctica.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Ancient Mars Climate With a Polar Ocean and Ice Sheet Dynamics
In this article, we study the conditions required to maintain a stable ocean on Mars 3 Ga using a new suite of simulations.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Europa, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
An Assessment of Organics Detection and Characterization On The Surface Of Europa With Infrared Spectroscopy
Organics, if they do exist on Europa, may only be present in trace amounts on the surface. NASA’s upcoming mission Europa Clipper is going to provide global, high quality data […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Away Teams & Field Reports, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
Ice Planet Exploration: Deepest Canadian Ice Core Has Reached Bedrock
An ambitious Canadian Flagship project has successfully reached its goal drilling a 613 m deep ice core from top to bedrock though the Müller ice cap on Axel Heiberg Island, […]