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[21.06] Evidence for Enhanced Hydration and Water Ice Stability at Tropical Latitudes on Mars

G. Bellucci (Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica – Istituto Fisica Spazio Interplanetario, Rome), J. Helbert (DLR, Institute for Planetary Exploration, Berlin), F. Altieri (Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica – Istituto Fisica Spazio Interplanetario, Rome), D. Reiss (DLR, Institute for Planetary Exploration, Berlin), Y. Langevin, F: Poulet (CNRS, Orsay, Paris), G. Neukum (Institute of Geosciences, Free University, Berlin), J.P. Bibiring (CNRS, Orsay, Paris), S. van Gasselt (Institute of Geosciences, Free University, Berlin)

New spectroscopic observations performed by the OMEGA instrument on board Mars Express show evidence for a small region of enhanced hydration on the northern scarp of Olympus Mons. Day and night measurements of surface temperatures in this region indicate that the soil has an high thermal inertia and exhibits the lowest daytime temperatures in the area. Thermodynamic modeling suggests that water ice in this region is stable during most of the Martian year due to the saturation of the atmosphere.

The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: giancarlo.bellucci@ifsi.rm.cnr.it

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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 37 #3
© 2004. The American Astronomical Soceity.