Exposed Water Ice Discovered near the South Pole of Mars

• Published in: Science
• Main Authors: Titus, Timothy N., Kieffer, Hugh H., Christensen, Phillip R.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2003
• Subjects: South Pole; South pole
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1080497; https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.1080497

The Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) has discovered water ice exposed near the edge of Mars' southern perennial polar cap. The surface H 2 O ice was first observed by THEMIS as a region that was cooler than expected for dry soil at that latitude during the summer season. Diurnal and seasonal temperature trends derived from Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer observations indicate that there is H 2 O ice at the surface. Viking observations, and the few other relevant THEMIS observations, indicate that surface H 2 O ice may be widespread around and under the perennial CO 2 cap.