Study led by the University of Coimbra obtains a model that allows analysis of the paleoclimatic evolution of Mars
According to the author of the study, the data and models presented in this investigation also allow the interpretation of the sedimentary record, which could be used to know when and how Mars lost a significant part of its atmosphere.
A study, carried out by researchers from the Department of Earth Sciences (DCT) of the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Coimbra (FCTUC), made it possible to accurately obtain a model that could enable the analysis of the paleoclimatic evolution of Mars.
This research, led by David Vaz, scientist at the Center for Research on Earth and Space at the University of Coimbra (CITEUC), aimed to identify the mechanisms responsible for the formation of aeolian ripples on Mars, mapping these sedimentary structures on a global scale and measuring its size, in order to test several previously advanced formation theories.
«Ripples are ripples that form in sediments by the action of a moving fluid. In the case of aeolian ripples, the action of the wind transports sand, which causes small ripples on the surface of the dunes, something that everyone has seen, for example, in beach sand», begins by explaining David Vaz. In the case of planet Earth, he continues, “the ripples are small, with a spacing of about 10 cm. On Mars, due to the different conditions that exist on the surface of the planet, the ripples are much larger, with spacings of 2 to 5 meters».
According to the DCT researcher, with this study it was possible to conclude that there is a relationship between the size of the ripples and the atmospheric pressure on the surface of the red planet, as predicted by one of the models studied. “Understanding how wind processes shape the surface of Mars today, and in particular how these processes vary with atmospheric pressure, allows us to interpret and infer atmospheric conditions in the past”, reveals David Vaz.
“Thanks to the innovative methods developed in this work, it was possible to analyze with great precision an extension of the surface of Mars much greater than that of previous works. These new data make it possible to resolve some of the existing contradictions, making it possible to test the two main hypotheses that seek to explain the existence of large ripples in the Martian dunes", he assures.
According to the author of the study, the data and models presented in this investigation also allow the interpretation of the sedimentary record, which could be used to know when and how Mars lost a significant part of its atmosphere. "Such a climate change has made Mars go from a planet with water on the surface to a dry, cold and arid planet", he concludes.
The scientific article “Constraining the mechanisms of aeolian bedform formation on Mars through a global morphometric survey” can be consulted here.