1 surface conditions surface temperature averages -63 o c, but typically varies from -89 o c to -31...
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Surface Conditions
• Surface temperature averages -63oC, but typically varies from -89oC to -31oC.– the Viking landers occasionally
measured temperatures > 0oC, and atleast once up to 80oF.
• Surface Gravity: 3.7 m/s2 (0.38 G)
• Albedo: 0.15
• Solar Irradiance 589 W/m2 (43% of earth)68
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Mars’ Atmosphere
95.3% CO2 and 2.7% N2, with 1.6% Ar and small a amount of O2 (0.13%).
This is almost the same composition as what other planet’s atmosphere?
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Atmospheric Pressure• The pressure of the atmosphere on Mars
is only about 7 millibars. The average pressure on Earth is about 1000 millibars.
• When the air pressure is this low, liquid water simply boils into water vapor.
• This explains why no liquid water can exist on the surface of Mars today. But who knows about under the surface….
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Weather Conditions
• With the low temperatures, low barometric pressure and almost no water vapor, the most common type of “weather” on Mars is dust storms!
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8www.spacescience.org/ExploringSpace/Gallery/MercerPaintings/MarsDustStorm213.JPG
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Precipitation! – NOT!
• No precipitation falls on Mars, at least not in the same way it does on Earth - no rain, no snow, no sleet.
• Sometimes frost does form on the rocks.
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10Probably solid CO2 77
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Weather Forecast
• Despite the very thin atmosphere, Mars has very active weather
– Winds of 2 to 30 m/s (67 mph)
– Local & planet-wide dust storms
– Frost in low-elevation areas
– Dust devils (next 2 slides)
– Southern polar cap sublimation of CO2 adds atmosphere in S.H. summer.
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The Polar Ice Caps
• The northern ice cap is made up mostly of frozen water ice – just like on earth!
• The southern cap is water ice underneath, but there’s a thick layer of dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) over the water ice.
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The ice caps shrink and grow with the seasons.All of this material goes into the atmosphere,doubling the air pressure in summer.
btc.montana.edu
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Local winter tosummer changes inthe south polar “ice”cap (frozen CO2)
Part of Mars’atmosphere islying frozen on itssurface!
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June, 2003 Oct, 2003
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Layersresult fromsublimationandfreezingcycles.
North polarcap.
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