Spatial and Temporal Variation of Mars South Polar Ice Composition from Spectral Endmember Classification of CRISM Mapping Data

• Main Authors: Cartwright, Samuel, Calvin, Wendy M., Seelos, Frank, Seelos, Kimberly D
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: Authorea, Inc. 2023
• Subjects: Ice cap
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.22541/essoar.169186306.64285679/v2

Multispectral mapping data from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) provide a unique opportunity to characterize south polar ice deposits at higher spectral sampling, spatial resolution, or spatiotemporal coverage than previous work. This new perspective can help to constrain the nature and distribution of different mixtures of CO ice, HO ice, and dust that influence the formation, evolution, and preservation of Mars climate records. We processed 1103 CRISM observations spanning southern summer of six Mars Years (MY) through a combination of k -means clustering and random forest classification. Using a set of 12 spectral endmembers directly tied to previous work with high-resolution CRISM targeted data, we made a series of temporally restricted mosaics showing surface spectral variation over time. The mosaics show the effects of the MY 28 dust storm on the removal of the seasonal CO ice cap that year and reveal how this process differed from the years that followed. A mosaic showing residual ice surfaces displays broad agreement with previous compositional maps while resolving new details in the distribution of HO ice-rich material around the periphery of the bright CO ice cap. By showing how surface composition varies across a broad swath of the south polar region though time, the endmember set and classified mosaics produced in this work can provide critical context for future studies of the dynamic processes that shape south polar ice deposits.