French and American scientists conclude that snowstorms are the result of atmospheric instability derived from the radioactive cooling of cloud particles.
That would have been Mars for an Ice Age 400,000 years ago. A group of scientists led by Aymeric Spiga of the National Center for Scientific Research in France has concluded that dry ice clouds are forming on Mars at a height of 10 kilometers, triggering snowstorms, reports Nature Geoscience.
"The amount of water in general is quite small, so it would not be possible to build snowmen on Mars with that ... it would not be possible to set up a ski resort," Spiga told the Los Angeles Times. Instead of seeing a thick blanket of snow, researchers believe that the downpours on the red planet would create a dense layer of frost on the Martian surface.
Night Processes
According to research, the snowfall can explain the mixture of atmospheric layers that takes place at night. According to scientists, this phenomenon is a result of atmospheric instability derived from the radioactive cooling of cloud particles. Nighttime convection in Mars' clouds and snowfall carry the water above and below the layers. According to the researchers, this process influences the aquatic cycles of the past and present on Mars.
Seasonal frost (or snow?) Photographed on Mars.
Spiga also stressed that the night conditions, favorable for strong convection, resemble the Martian clouds to sulfuric and acidic Venus.
For a better understanding of the process, the specialists presented an atmospheric model in which the mixture of layers that occurs during the night is exposed in detail.
The discovery will contribute to the development of studies of the red planet, aquatic cycles in particular, and in space research in general.