Abstract
Unlocking the Climate Record Stored within Mars’ Polar Layered Deposits
Highlights
Understanding layer formation requires access to the near subsurface via drilling
We focus on the North PLD (NPLD), for which hypotheses are much more robust
In this paper we outline the overarching questions regarding the climate record of Mars and present a landed polar mission concept that is a necessary step for achieving this goal
Summary
In the icy beds of its polar layered deposits (PLD), Mars likely possesses a record of its recent climate history, analogous to terrestrial ice sheets that contain records of Earth's past climate. Both northern and southern PLDs store information on the climatic and atmospheric state during the deposition of each layer (WPs: Becerra et al.; Smith et al). Reading the climate record stored in these layers requires detailed measurements of layer composition, thickness, isotope variability, and near-surface atmospheric measurements. We identify four fundamental questions that must be answered in order to interpret this climate record and decipher the recent climatic history of Mars: 1. We identify four fundamental questions that must be answered in order to interpret this climate record and decipher the recent climatic history of Mars: 1. Fluxes: What are the present and past fluxes of volatiles, dust, and other materials into and out of the polar regions?
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