Fate of an Earth‐Like Water Inventory on Mars

Abstract

AbstractWe have determined the global inventory of surface and near‐surface water on Mars by tracking the amounts of water lost to each of the significant sinks for water. The sinks include loss to space, formation of hydrated minerals, possible remnants of an ancient ocean, water present within the crust, and the present‐day polar caps and near‐surface ice deposits; we utilize both previous analyses and new analyses of the amount of water in the sinks. Summed up, they total 380–970 m H2O (as a global equivalent layer), and possibly up to 685–1,970 m if possible crustal liquid water or ice is included. For comparison, the Earth's surface and near‐surface inventory, scaled to Mars, would be 1,400 m. This value for an Earth‐like Mars falls within the range of possible values for Mars, suggesting that Mars had a similar surface inventory of surface and near‐surface water. This abundance of water on early Mars is able to produce the observed water‐related geological features and suggests the presence of an early habitable environment capable of supporting life.