Water Ice Layer Research Articles

Meter-scale thermal contraction crack polygons on the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

We report on the detection and characterization of more than 6300 polygons on the surface of the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, using images acquired by the OSIRIS camera onboard Rosetta between August 2014 and March 2015. They are found in consolidated terrains and grouped in localized networks. They are present at all latitudes (from North to South) and longitudes (head, neck, and body), sometimes on pit walls or following lineaments. About 1.5% of the observed surface is covered by polygons. Polygons have an homogeneous size across the nucleus, with 90% of them in the size range 1 – 5 m and a mean size of 3.0 ± 1.4 m. They show different morphologies, depending on the width and depth of their trough. They are found in networks with 3- or 4-crack intersection nodes. The polygons observed on 67P are consistent with thermal contraction crack polygons formed by the diurnal or seasonal temperature variations in a hard (MPa) and consolidated sintered layer of water ice, located a few centimeters below the surface. Our thermal analysis shows an evolution of thermal contraction crack polygons according to the local thermal environment, with more evolved polygons (i.e. deeper and larger troughs) where the temperature and the diurnal and seasonal temperature range are the highest. Thermal contraction crack polygons are young surface morphologies that probably formed after the injection of 67P in the inner solar system, typically 100,000 years ago, and could be as young as a few orbital periods, following the decreasing of its perihelion distance in 1959 from 2.7 to 1.3 a.u. Meter scale thermal contraction crack polygons should be common features on the nucleus of Jupiter family comets.

Ground tests of the Dynamic Albedo of Neutron instrument operation in the passive mode with a Martian soil model

The results of the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) instrument ground tests in the passive mode of operation are presented in comparison with the numerical calculations. These test series were conducted to support the current surface measurements of DAN onboard the MSL Curiosity rover. The instrument sensitivity to detect thin subsurface layers of water ice buried at different depths in the analog of Martian soil has been evaluated during these tests. The experiments have been done with a radioisotope Pu-Be neutron source (analog of the MMRTG neutron source onboard the Curiosity rover) and the Martian soil model assembled from silicon-rich window glass pane. Water ice layers were simulated with polyethylene sheets. All experiments have been performed at the test facility built at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (Dubna, Russia).

Heat-transfer, inside of the ground heat-transfer units, from liquid, additionally cooling the oil-immersed transformer

A device for cooling the oil-immersed transformer by means of thermoelectric transducers has been developed. Their operating principle is based on the fact that at night at minimum ambient temperature, the cold is accumulated inside of a vessel due to formation of water ice layer on the developed surfaces of thermoelectric transducers` ribs. Melting of this layer is used in the hottest time of a day for additional cooling of transformer oil in the cooling system of the transformer. Pre-cooling of the circulating water takes place in vertical ground heat-transfer units (VGHT units), mounted into ground drilled boreholes. Certain estimate calculations of the heat-transfer process have been carried out.

Measuring temperature and ammonia hydrate ice on Charon in 2015 from Keck/OSIRIS spectra

In this work we investigated the longitudinal (zonal) variability of H2O and ammonia (NH3) hydrate ices on the surface of Charon through analysis of the 1.65 µm and 2.21 µmabsorption features, respectively. Near-infrared spectra presented here were obtained between 2015-07-14 and 2015-08-30 UT with the OSIRIS integral field spectrograph on Keck I. Spectra centered on six different sub-observer longitudes were obtained through the Hbb (1.473–1.803 µm) and Kbb (1.965–2.381 µm) filters. Gaussian functions were fit to the aforementioned bands to obtain information on band center, band depth, full width at half maximum, and band area. The shift in the band center of the temperature-dependent 1.65 µm feature was used to calculate the H2O ice temperature. The mean temperature of the ice on the observable portion of Charon’s surface is 45 ± 14 K and we report no statistically significant variations in temperature across the surface. We hypothesize that the crystalline and amorphous phases of water ice reached equilibrium over 3.5 Gyr ago, with thermal recrystallization balancing the effects of irradiation amorphization. We do not believe that cryovolcanism is necessary to explain the presence of crystalline water ice on the surface of Charon. Absorption from ammonia species is detected between 12° and 290°, in agreement with results from New Horizons. Ongoing diffusion of ammonia through the rocky mantle and upper layer of water ice is one possible mechanism for maintaining its presence in Charon’s surface ice. Reduced Charon spectra corrected for telluric and solar absorption are available as supplementary online material.

Multi-Zone Ice Accretion and Roughness Models for Aircraft Icing Numerical Simulation

AbstractA mathematical multi-zone ice accretion model used in the numerical simulation of icing on airfoil surface based on three water states, namely, continuous film, rivulets and beads is studied in this paper. An improved multi-zone roughness model is proposed. According to the flow state of liquid water and film flow, rivulets flow governing equations are established to calculate film mass distribution, film velocity, rivulet wetness factor and rivulet mass distribution. Force equilibrium equations of droplet are used to establish the critical conditions of water film broken into rivulets and rivulets broken into beads. The temperature conduction inside the water layer and ice layer is considered. Using the proposed model ice accretion on a NACA0012 airfoil profile with a 4° angle of attack under different icing conditions is simulated. Different ice shapes like glaze ice, mixed ice and rime ice are obtained, and the results agree well with icing wind tunnel experiment data. It can be seen that, water films are formed on the surface, and heights of the films vary with icing time and locations. This results in spatially-temporally varying surface roughness and heat transfer process, ultimately affects the ice prediction. Model simulations indicate that the process of water film formation and evolution cannot be ignored, especially under glaze ice condition.

IDENTIFYING SURFACE CHANGES ON HRSC IMAGES OF THE MARS SOUTH POLAR RESIDUAL CAP (SPRC)

Abstract. The surface of Mars has been an object of interest for planetary research since the launch of Mariner 4 in 1964. Since then different cameras such as the Viking Visual Imaging Subsystem (VIS), Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC), and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Context Camera (CTX) and High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) have been imaging its surface at ever higher resolution. The High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board of the European Space Agency (ESA) Mars Express, has been imaging the Martian surface, since 25th December 2003 until the present-day. HRSC has covered 100 % of the surface of Mars, about 70 % of the surface with panchromatic images at 10-20 m/pixel, and about 98 % at better than 100 m/pixel (Neukum et. al., 2004), including the polar regions of Mars. The Mars polar regions have been studied intensively recently by analysing images taken by the Mars Express and MRO missions (Plaut et al., 2007). The South Polar Residual Cap (SPRC) does not change very much in volume overall but there are numerous examples of dynamic phenomena associated with seasonal changes in the atmosphere. In particular, we can examine the time variation of layers of solid carbon dioxide and water ice with dust deposition (Bibring, 2004), spider-like channels (Piqueux et al., 2003) and so-called Swiss Cheese Terrain (Titus et al., 2004). Because of seasonal changes each Martian year, due to the sublimation and deposition of water and CO2 ice on the Martian south polar region, clearly identifiable surface changes occur in otherwise permanently icy region. In this research, good quality HRSC images of the Mars South Polar region are processed based on previous identification as the optimal coverage of clear surfaces (Campbell et al., 2015). HRSC images of the Martian South Pole are categorized in terms of quality, time, and location to find overlapping areas, processed into high quality Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) and Orthorectified Images (ORIs) and projected into polar stereographic projection using DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; German Aerospace Center)’s VICAR and GIS software with modifications developed by Kim & Muller (2009). Surface changes are identified in the Mars SPRC region and analysed based on their appearance in the HRSC images.

Martian north polar cap summer water cycle

A key outstanding question in Martian science is “are the polar caps gaining or losing mass and what are the implications for past, current and future climate?” To address this question, we use observations from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) of the north polar cap during late summer for multiple Martian years, to monitor the summertime water cycle in order to place quantitative limits on the amount of water ice deposited and sublimed in late summer.We establish here for the first time the summer cycle of water ice absorption band signatures on the north polar cap. We show that in a key region in the interior of the north polar cap, the absorption band depths grow until Ls = 120, when they begin to shrink, until they are obscured at the end of summer by the north polar hood. This behavior is transferable over the entire north polar cap, where in late summer regions 'flip' from being net sublimating into net condensation mode. This transition or 'mode flip' happens earlier for regions closer to the pole, and later for regions close to the periphery of the cap.The observations and calculations presented herein estimate that on average a water ice layer ∼70 microns thick is deposited during the Ls = 135–164 period. This is far larger than the results of deposition on the south pole during summer, where an average layer 0.6–6 microns deep has been estimated by Brown et al. (2014) Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 406, 102–109.

Water-rich planets: How habitable is a water layer deeper than on Earth?

Water is necessary for the origin and survival of life as we know it. In the search for life-friendly worlds, water-rich planets therefore are obvious candidates and have attracted increasing attention in recent years. The surface H2O layer on such planets (containing a liquid water ocean and possibly high-pressure ice below a specific depth) could potentially be hundreds of kilometres deep depending on the water content and the evolution of the proto-atmosphere.We study possible constraints for the habitability of deep water layers and introduce a new habitability classification relevant for water-rich planets (from Mars-size to super-Earth-size planets). A new ocean model has been developed that is coupled to a thermal evolution model of the mantle and core. Our interior structure model takes into account depth-dependent thermodynamic properties and the possible formation of high-pressure ice.We find that heat flowing out of the silicate mantle can melt an ice layer from below (in some cases episodically), depending mainly on the thickness of the ocean-ice shell, the mass of the planet, the surface temperature and the interior parameters (e.g. radioactive mantle heat sources). The high pressure at the bottom of deep water–ice layers could also impede volcanism at the water–mantle boundary for both stagnant lid and plate tectonics silicate shells.We conclude that water-rich planets with a deep ocean, a large planet mass, a high average density or a low surface temperature are likely less habitable than planets with an Earth-like ocean.

Ground tests of nuclear planetology instruments at the JINR experimental facility

In this work the results of ground tests with active neutron spectrometer DAN (Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons) are presented, which have performed at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research to simulate space experiments on martian or lunar surfaces and to test ability of active neutron methods to detect layers of subsurface water ice or water at depths in range 0–40 cm. For this experiment we assembled thick models of soil (20–30 metric tons) from a dry material similar in the elemental composition with martian and lunar regolith. Polyethylene buried inside the target at different depths was used as a simulant of thin water/water ice layer.

Heat Transfer of a Straight Flat Fin Surface Subjected to Low Temperature and Immersed in an Aqueous Medium with a Constant Temperature

An approximate analytical model is proposed to determine the thickness of the water ice layer on the surface of a straight flat fin as part of heat exchange equipment. This solution could be of interest for use in engineering calculations, in particular, in the design of water coolers, TNT evaporators, LNG gasifiers, etc.

New experimental capability to investigate the hypervelocity micrometeoroid bombardment of cryogenic surfaces.

Ice is prevalent throughout the solar system and beyond. Though the evolution of many of these icy surfaces is highly dependent on associated micrometeoroid impact phenomena, experimental investigation of these impacts has been extremely limited, especially at the impactor speeds encountered in space. The dust accelerator facility at the Institute for Modeling Plasmas, Atmospheres, and Cosmic Dust (IMPACT) of NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute has developed a novel cryogenic system that will facilitate future study of hypervelocity impacts into ice and icy regolith. The target consists of a copper block, cooled by liquid nitrogen, upon which layers of vapor-deposited ice, pre-frozen ice, or icy regolith can be built in a controlled and quantifiable environment. This ice can be grown from a variety of materials, including H2O, CH3OH, NH3, and slurries containing nanophase iron. Ice temperatures can be varied between 96 K and 150 K and ice thickness greater than 150 nm can be accurately measured. Importantly, the composition of ion plumes created during micrometeoroid impacts onto these icy layers can be measured even in trace amounts by in situ time-of-flight mass spectroscopy. In this paper, we present the fundamental design components of the cryogenic target chamber at IMPACT and proof-of-concept results from target development and from first impacts into thick layers of water ice.

Evidence for exposed water ice in the Moon’s south polar regions from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter ultraviolet albedo and temperature measurements

We utilize surface temperature measurements and ultraviolet albedo spectra from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to test the hypothesis that exposed water frost exists within the Moon’s shadowed polar craters, and that temperature controls its concentration and spatial distribution. For locations with annual maximum temperatures Tmax greater than the H2O sublimation temperature of ∼110K, we find no evidence for exposed water frost, based on the LAMP UV spectra. However, we observe a strong change in spectral behavior at locations perennially below ∼110K, consistent with cold-trapped ice on the surface. In addition to the temperature association, spectral evidence for water frost comes from the following spectral features: (a) decreasing Lyman-α albedo, (b) decreasing “on-band” (129.57–155.57nm) albedo, and (c) increasing “off-band” (155.57–189.57nm) albedo. All of these features are consistent with the UV spectrum of water ice, and are expected for water ice layers >∼100nm in thickness. High regolith porosity, which would darken the surface at all wavelengths, cannot alone explain the observed spectral changes at low temperatures. Given the observed LAMP off-band/on-band albedo ratios at a spatial scale of 250m, the range of water ice concentrations within the cold traps with Tmax<110K is ∼0.1–2.0% by mass, if the ice is intimately mixed with dry regolith. If pure water ice is exposed instead, then up to ∼10% of the surface area on the 250-m scale of the measurements may be ice-covered. The observed distribution of exposed water ice is highly heterogeneous, with some cold traps <110K having little to no apparent water frost, and others with a significant amount of water frost. As noted by Gladstone et al. (Gladstone, G.R. et al. [2012]. J. Geophys. Res.: Planets 117(E12)), this heterogeneity may be a consequence of the fact that the net supply rate of H2O molecules to the lunar poles is very similar to the net destruction rate within the cold traps. However, an observed increase in apparent H2O abundance with decreasing temperature from ∼110K to 65K suggests that destruction of surface frosts by impact gardening and space weathering is spatially heterogeneous. We find a loosely bimodal distribution of apparent ice concentrations with temperature, possibly due to competition between vertical mixing by impact gardening and resupply of H2O by vapor diffusion at sites ∼110K. Finally, we cannot rule out the possibility that the colder population of ice deposits is in fact primarily carbon dioxide ice, although peak temperatures of ∼65K are slightly higher than the usual CO2 sublimation temperature of ∼60K.

Sulfur implantation in CO and CO2 ices

We present new experimental results concerning the implantation of multiply charged sulfur ions (90 and 176 keV) in frozen CO and CO2. CO2 layers have been capped with a water ice layer to study chemical reactions induced at the interface between the two species. The results indicate that SO2 is formed after implantation in both CO and CO2 and the respective formation yields are 0.20 +/- 0.05 and 0.38 +/- 0.20 molecules ion(-1) for 176-keV S11+ in CO and 90-keV S9+ in CO2, respectively. Possibly, CS2 has been produced in CO2 and OCS in CO. Ion implantation produces also all of the chemical modifications observed with other ion beam. In particular a large number of carbon chains are formed after implantation in CO. Chemical reactions and mixing are induced at the water/carbon dioxide interface and lead to the formation of carbonic acid (H2CO3). The results are discussed in the light of their relevance in some astrophysical environments both in the star-forming regions and in the Solar system.

Predicted crater morphologies on Ceres: Probing internal structure and evolution

The detailed internal structure of the dwarf planet Ceres, target of NASA’s Dawn mission, has not been unequivocally determined from ground-based data. Whereas Ceres is most likely differentiated with a near surface ice layer tens to one-hundred kilometers thick, the possibility of a homogenous, ice-poor interior structure cannot be completely eliminated. These two internal structural end-members have profoundly different implications for Ceres’ origin and evolution. Here we demonstrate that observations of Ceres’ impact craters by the Dawn spacecraft will permit unambiguous distinction between the two internal structural models. Using finite element simulations of crater relaxation, we show that if Ceres does contain a water ice layer, its relatively warm diurnally-averaged surface temperature ensures extensive viscous relaxation of even small impact craters. At likely equatorial temperatures, craters as small as 4-km in diameter can be relaxed to the point where complete crater erasure is plausible, thus decreasing the overall crater density in the equatorial region. At mid-latitudes, crater relaxation is less extensive, but still sufficient to completely relax all craters older than 10Ma and larger than ∼16km in diameter, as well as smaller, ancient craters. Only in Ceres’ cold polar regions are some crater morphologies expected to be pristine. In contrast, if Ceres is primarily a rocky body, we expect crater relaxation to be negligible. These basic conclusions are generally independent of ice grain size, salt/dust contamination of the ice, the presence of a thin, undifferentiated ice/rock crust, and the total thickness of the ice layer, all of which produce second-order modifications to the relaxation process that can be used to better constrain such ice layer properties. Thus, the morphology of impact craters on Ceres, as revealed by the Dawn spacecraft, will provide direct insight into the internal structure and evolution of the dwarf planet.

Water, heat, bombardment: The evolution and current state of (2) Pallas

Using recent constraints on the shape and density of (2) Pallas, we model the thermal evolution of the body as a function of possible formation scenarios that differ in the time of formation and composition assumed for the protoplanet. We develop possible evolution scenarios for Pallas and compare these to available observations. Our models imply two distinct types of end states: those with a hydrosphere and silicate core, and those where the body is dominated by hydrated silicates. We show that for an initial ice-rock mixture with density 2400kg/m3, Pallas is likely to differentiate and form a rocky core and icy shell. If Pallas accreted from material with lower initial ice content, our models indicate that Pallas’s interior is dominated by hydrated silicates, possibly with a core of anhydrous silicates.We also investigate the possibility that Pallas’s initial density was similar to Ceres’, i.e., that it formed from an ice–rock mixture of density 2100kg/m3. This implies that the object lost a significant fraction of its hydrosphere as a consequence of thermal oscillations and impacts, a distinct possibility given its density, evidence for impact excavation and current orbital parameters. Its blue spectral slope and observed surface variation may also be evidence for such a process (e.g. Jewitt, D.C. [2002]. Astron. J. 123, 1039–1049; Schmidt, B.E. et al. [2009]. Science 326, 275–279; Yang, B., Jewitt, D. [2010]. Astron. J. 140, 692–698). If Pallas still contains a thin layer of water ice, then that layer corresponds to the bottom of a former icy shell, and as such, could be enriched in non-ice materials such as organics. We evaluate the likeliness of each scenario and show the general magnitude of water loss processes for Pallas. Given a balance of observational and theoretical constraints, we favor a water-rich accretion for Pallas that implies that Pallas has lost a significant fraction of its initial water content through exogenic processes since its internal evolution ceased. We also discuss implications of this work to other hydrated asteroids.

A SEARCH FOR WATER VAPORIZATION ON CERES

There are hints that the dwarf planet (1) Ceres may contain a large amount of water ice. Some models and previous observations suggest that ice could be close enough to the surface to create a flux of water outward through the regolith. This work aims to confirm a previous detection of OH emission off the northern limb of Ceres with the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE). Such emission would be evidence of water molecules escaping from the dwarf planet. We used the Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph of the Very Large Telescope to obtain spectra off the northern and southern limbs of Ceres at several epochs. These spectra cover the 307-312 nm wavelength range corresponding to the OH (0,0) emission band, which is the brightest band of this radical, well known in the cometary spectra. These new observations, five times more sensitive than those from IUE, did not permit detection of OH around Ceres. We derive an upper limit for the water production of about {approx}7 x 10{sup 25} molecules s{sup -1} and estimate the minimum thickness of the dust surface layer above the water ice layer (if present) to be about 20 m.

SOLID-STATE CO OXIDATION BY ATOMIC O: A ROUTE TO SOLID CO 2 SYNTHESIS IN DENSE MOLECULAR CLOUDS

Investigations with infrared spectroscopy and microgravimetry show that CO2 forms in small quantities during codeposition of CO and cooled O and O2 into thin films at 20 K: ~3 × 1014 CO2 cm–2 within a film containing 2.7 × 1017 CO cm–2. The reason for the low CO2 yield is that O atoms react preferentially with O to form O2, and with O2 to form ozone, which was not considered in previous studies with atomic beams. Heating a CO + O + O2 film capped with a ~2.5 μm thick water ice layer to 80 K increased CO2 by 30%, showing additional reactions between O and CO diffusing in the ice layer. Although the CO2:CO = 10–3 measured in our experiments is at least two orders of magnitude smaller than reported interstellar ratios, sputtering and differential desorption during transient heating events, e.g., by impacts of cosmic rays or stellar winds, can increase the ratio to observed values.

THE STEPPENWOLF: A PROPOSAL FOR A HABITABLE PLANET IN INTERSTELLAR SPACE

Rogue planets have been ejected from their planetary system. We investigate the possibility that a rogue planet could maintain a liquid ocean under layers of thermally-insulating water ice and frozen atmosphere as a result of geothermal heat flux. We find that a rogue planet of Earth-like composition and age could maintain a subglacial liquid ocean if it were ~3.5 times more massive than Earth. If a rogue planet had about ten times higher water mass fraction or a thick cryo-atmospheric layer, it would need to be only ~0.3 times the mass of Earth to maintain a liquid ocean. Such a planet could be detected from reflected solar radiation and its thermal emission could be characterized in the far-IR if it passed within O(1000) AU of Earth.

Water on the Moon

The Moon is not wet like Earth, and it doesn’t have frozen icecaps like those on Mars. But it might be just a tiny bit damp, both inside and on its surface.

The evolution of exposed ice in a fresh mid-latitude crater on Mars

Recent observations of the surface of Mars have shown several fresh mid-latitude craters. Some of these craters show exposed ice (Byrne, S. et al. [2009]. Science 325, 1674–1676.). In some craters, albedo of ice slowly decreases, while in others, it remains nearly constant. We attempt to determine influence of the regolith structure on the rate of sublimation of ice. For this purpose we performed numerical simulations describing evolution of the exposed ice in model craters located at middle latitudes. We consider a new model for the structure and evolution of the material at- and beneath the crater floors. In contrast to the previous study by Dundas and Byrne (Dundas, C.M., Byrne, S. [2010]. Icarus 206, 716–728.) we do not investigate sublimation of dirty ice, and the related formation of a sublimation lag. Instead, we consider sublimation of a pure ice layer on top of layered regolith. In our model the observed reflectivity decreases due to the sublimation-driven changes of the optical properties of thinning clean ice. This offers an alternative to the deposition of the dust embedded in ice (sublimation lag). We have shown that in our model among many parameters affecting ice sublimation rate, volumetric fraction of water ice in the subsurface beneath the crater has the strongest influence. Hence observed darkening of the ice patch on the crater floor might be sufficient to determine the content of water ice in the subsurface. Our calculations show that an albedo decrease of fresh ice patches in mid-latitude craters can be explained by either strong dust sedimentation or, if this is excluded, by sublimation of a thin layer of water ice from the regolith with large thermal inertia. This is consistent with a large volumetric fraction of water ice beneath the crater floor and contributes to evidence for an extended subsurface water reservoir on Mars. The overall conclusion of our work is that a thin post-impact surface ice coating over ice-rich ground beneath the crater floors is consistent with the observations.