Spatio‐Temporal Level Variations of the Martian Seasonal North Polar Cap From Co‐Registration of MOLA Profiles ...

• Main Authors: Xiao, Haifeng, Stark, Alexander, Schmidt, Frédéric, Hao, Jingyan, Steinbrügge, Gregor, Wagner, Nicholas L., Su, Shu, Cheng, Yuan, Oberst, Jürgen
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2022
• Subjects: 500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik::520 Astronomie::520 Astronomie und zugeordnete Wissenschaften; Mars; seasonal polar cap; CO2 ice; MOLA; level variation; pseudo cross-over; South Pole; South pole
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14279/depositonce-21071; https://depositonce.tu-berlin.de/handle/11303/22270

The seasonal deposition and sublimation of CO2 constitute a major element in Martian volatile cycles. We reprocess the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) data and apply co-registration procedures to obtain spatio-temporal variations in levels of the Seasonal North Polar Cap (SNPC). The maximum level over the Residual North Polar Cap (RNPC) is 1.3 m, approximately half of that at the south pole (2.5 m). However, the maximum level in the dune fields at Olympia Undae can be up to 3.8 m. Furthermore, off-season decreases up to 3 m during the northern winter at Olympia Undae are observed. These are likely due to metamorphism effects accentuated by the reduced snowfall at this period. Meanwhile, off-season increases of up to 2 m during the northern spring are noted, the cause of which remains to be explored. The volume of the SNPC peaks at the end of northern winter and is estimated to be approximately 9.6 × 1012 m3, which is 2% more than that of the Seasonal South Polar Cap. The bulk density of the SNPC can go ...