hydrology Archives

Quantitative morphological metric extraction results and numerical simulation results. A. Spatial distribution of DAF across the study area, overlaid on a shaded relief base map derived from DTEEC_033165_2195_032875_2195_A01 (26). Colors represent specific DAF values indicated by the color bar on the bottom right. The MBT boundary is shown as a black dashed line. B. Schematic diagram defining the key morphological feature of MBT. The curve represents the terrain tangent of MBT. The yellow shaded areas indicate depression. The dashed line represents the depression threshold elevation (DTE) (see SI Appendix). C-E. HiRISE images of three local MBT in the study area. All three images share the same scale-bar. F-H. Detrended observed elevation data for three MBT areas shown in C-E, respectively (SI Appendix, Fig. S3). The white contour lines, which correspond to DTE values, outline the depression areas. Colors indicate elevation value using a color bar shown to the right of H. The I-K. Simulation results with increasing maximum stone movement rate (𝑣max): 3.25 mm/cycle (I), 3.40 mm/cycle (J) and 3.90 mm/cycle(K).Colors represent the simulated elevation using a common color bar shown to the right of K. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Sculpting Of Martian Brain Terrain Reveals The Drying Of Ancient Mars

by Keith CowingFebruary 5, 2026February 5, 2026

The Martian brain terrain (MBT), characterized by its unique brain-like morphology, is a potential geological archive for finding hints of paleoclimatic conditions during its formation period.

A Tributary channels identified in the northward facing promontory of the Southeast Coprates Chasma and Strahler orders characterizing the geometry of the channel networks in the various drainage basins. B Topographic cross-section drawn from elevation data that is extracted from the DEM along the red line across the promontory. The downward arrows indicate the depth of the local bedrock incision. SFD = scarp-fronted deposit. -- NPJ

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Mars Was Half Covered By An Ocean

by Keith CowingJanuary 15, 2026January 15, 2026

Using images from cameras on Mars orbiters, an international research team led by the University of Bern has discovered structures on Mars that are very similar to classic river deltas […]

Small lakes on ancient Mars may have remained liquid for decades, even with average air temperatures well below freezing. -- Rice University

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mars, Press Release

Thin Ice May Have Protected Lake Water On Frozen Mars

by Keith CowingJanuary 6, 2026January 6, 2026

Using a climate model adapted for Martian conditions, a team of researchers from Rice University discovered that lakes in locations such as Gale Crater, near Mars’ equator, could have persisted […]

ID: ESP_040566_0935 date: 23 March 2015 altitude: 245 km larger image NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Press Release

Mesa Erosion At Mars’ South Pole

by Keith CowingDecember 29, 2025December 30, 2025

The South Polar residual cap (the part that lasts through the summer) is composed of carbon dioxide ice.

The first forms of life on Earth were microbial, preceding the evolution of multicellular life by more than two billion years. -- Microbial Biotechnology via PubMed

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Origin & Evolution of Life, Sample Return, Status Report

Subsurface Life On Earth As A Key To Unlock Extraterrestrial Mysteries

by Keith CowingDecember 24, 2025

The first forms of life on Earth were microbial, preceding the evolution of multicellular life by more than two billion years.

The North Polar layered deposits are a stack of ice-rich layers, with different layers likely having varying amounts of dust. uahirise Larger image

Analog 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

by Keith CowingDecember 24, 2025December 24, 2025

Here, a straight-line feature cuts across many layers, seemingly changing their brightness and presumably indicating a major change in the layer properties.

[LEFT] Outgoing longwave radiation of six potentially visible hemispheres of the planet. Teegarden's Star is one of the most promising targets for the first observations of LIFE, as a non-transiting rocky planet with similar bulk properties to the Earth, and a relatively quiescent M-dwarf host star. [RIGHT} Cloud fraction averaged over all pressure levels.]

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Status Report

Disentangling The Hemispheres Of Teegarden’s Star b With LIFE

by Keith CowingDecember 23, 2025December 23, 2025

We use LIFEsim, a software developed by the ETH LIFE team, along with thermal emission maps obtained from a suite of three-dimensional global climate model (GCM) simulations, to explore the […]

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Status Report

Mars Orbital Recon: Coprates Chasma Within Valles Marineris

by Keith CowingDecember 22, 2025December 22, 2025

This image of Coprates Chasma shows the deepest part of the giant Valles Marineris canyon system, more than 7 kilometers below the nearest rim and 11 kilometers beneath the surrounding […]

Prior to ca. 2.32 Ga, during deposition of the upper Rooihoogte and lower Timeball Hill formations, atmospheric pO2

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Gaia Mission, Habitable Zones, Status Report

Onset Of Persistent Surface Ocean Oxygenation During The Great Oxidation Event

by Keith CowingDecember 15, 2025December 15, 2025

Free oxygen (O2) first began accumulating in Earth’s atmosphere shortly after the Archean-Proterozoic transition during the ‘Great Oxidation Event’ (GOE).