Mars temperature
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Martian Temperature: An Overview
Surface Temperature Distribution on Mars
The surface temperatures on Mars exhibit significant variation based on location and time of day. Historical radiometric measurements have shown that the bright areas along the center of the Martian disk have temperatures ranging from -10°C to +5°C, while the dark areas can reach temperatures between 10°C and 20°C4. The polar regions exhibit even more extreme temperatures, with the north polar region maintaining a constant temperature of around -70°C during winter, and the south polar region experiencing temperatures up to 10°C during the Martian summer solstice4.
Thermal Inertia and Latitudinal Temperature Gradients
The thermal inertia of Martian surface materials plays a crucial role in temperature distribution. The mean microwave brightness temperature of Mars is about 200°K, indicating a thermal inertia of approximately 0.005 cal cm⁻² sec⁻¹/² deg⁻¹1. This value suggests that the average particle sizes are around 100 µm. Darker areas on Mars have higher thermal inertia compared to brighter areas, likely due to larger particle sizes or higher atmospheric pressure in those regions1. The latitudinal temperature gradient shows temperatures around 145°K at 60° winter latitudes, consistent with the presence of CO2 in the polar caps1.
Diurnal and Seasonal Temperature Variations
Mars experiences significant diurnal and seasonal temperature variations. Near-surface atmospheric temperatures are consistently about 20 K cooler than surface temperatures during the warmest part of the day, which occurs between 1300 and 1400 LTST (local true solar time)6. Seasonal cooling trends are also observed, with temperatures fluctuating by as much as 8 K during early afternoon hours when the near-surface atmosphere is unstable6.
Early Mars Climate and Temperature
Early Mars is believed to have undergone fluvial erosion, suggesting a warmer and wetter climate. However, a CO2 and H2O atmosphere alone could not have produced mean planetary temperatures close to 0°C. Modest warming could have been achieved with a low-pressure CO2 atmosphere supplemented by small amounts of CH4, NH3, or SO2, and episodic high obliquities may have also contributed to temperature increases2. Despite this, the mean annual surface temperatures during much of the Amazonian period were so cold that basal melting did not occur in ice sheets and glaciers, indicating a predominantly cold and dry climate10.
Implications for Microbial Life
While average temperatures on Mars are generally too low to support terrestrial life-forms, diurnal peak temperatures can be high enough to support metabolic activity and liquid water beneath the surface for some parts of the year. A benchmark temperature of 253 K, which is the minimum for specific terrestrial microorganisms, can be reached beneath the surface at diurnal peak heating within 40 degrees of the equator for at least some fraction of the year3. However, any life-form would need to endure daily excursions to much colder temperatures and periods where 253 K is never reached3.
Conclusion
Mars exhibits a wide range of temperatures influenced by its surface properties, atmospheric conditions, and seasonal changes. While the planet's average temperatures are generally too low to support life as we know it, certain conditions may allow for transient periods of habitability. Understanding these temperature dynamics is crucial for future exploration and the search for potential life on Mars.
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Martian temperatures and thermal properties
Martian temperatures are consistent with predictions, suggesting a polar cap composed of CO2 and a minimum temperature below 190°K at all latitudes.
Early Mars: How Warm and How Wet?
Early Mars experienced a warmer, wetter climate, but its temperature may have been driven by geothermal heat and impacts, rather than precipitation.
Highly CitedDynamic temperature fields under Mars landing sites and implications for supporting microbial life.
Mars has diurnal peak temperatures high enough to support terrestrial life-forms and aqueous liquids, but life-forms must endure daily excursions to colder temperatures and periods when 253 K is never reached.
Temperature response of Mars to Milankovitch cycles
Mars annual surface temperature near 60° latitude varies primarily with precession, not closely related to annual mean insolation, and is influenced by the obliquity cycle.
Surface and near-surface atmospheric temperatures for the Mars Exploration Rover landing sites
Near-surface atmospheric temperatures on Mars are consistently 20 K cooler than surface temperatures, with seasonal cooling trends and seasonal variations in temperature variations.
Martian North Pole Summer Temperatures: Dirty Water Ice
Martian north pole temperatures in late summer are near 205 K, with the residual polar cap composed of water ice and dirt, and no evidence of a permanent carbon dioxide polar cap.
Highly CitedMartian Windchill in Terrestrial Terms
Mars' windchill is less dangerous than it sounds due to weak convection and a meager atmosphere, making it more comfortable for humans than previously thought.
Early Mars climate near the Noachian–Hesperian boundary: Independent evidence for cold conditions from basal melting of the south polar ice sheet (Dorsa Argentea Formation) and implications for valley network formation
Basal melting of the south polar ice sheet near the Noachian-Hesperian boundary suggests a cold and relatively dry Mars climate, similar to the Antarctic Dry Valleys, with seasonal melting forming transient streams and permanent ice-covered lakes.
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