Buildup of solar heat likely contributes to Mars' dust storms, researchers find

A team of researchers says a seasonal discrepancy in the amount of solar energy absorbed and released by the planet Mars is a likely cause of the dust storms.

The University of Houston researchers documented the extreme imbalance in energy budget on Mars, which is a term referring to the measurement of solar energy a planet takes in from the sun then releases as heat.

One of the most interesting findings is that the excess energy being absorbed is one of the generating mechanisms of Mars dust storms. Understanding how this works on Mars might provide clues about the roles Earth's energy budget takes in the development of severe storms.

Mars is susceptible to wide temperature differences because of its thin atmosphere and elliptical path. It absorbs extreme amounts of solar heat when it swings closest to the sun in the spring and summer for the southern hemisphere. The planet absorbs less solar energy when it is further away from the sun. The phenomenon happens on Earth, too, but the researchers found it to be even more extreme on Mars.

According to season and year, energy imbalances can be measured, and they play a critical role in our global warming and climate change. If energy imbalance on Mars also exists on longer time scales, and if it does what the implications would be on the planet's climate change, is that a separate project?

Mars is not a planet with any kind of real energy storage mechanisms. Our large oceans help to equilibrate the climate system.

Mars has signs that the oceans, lakes and rivers were once abundant. What happened? The Red Planet, whose tawny color inspired observers from centuries ago to call it, was dried into a hot, dusty globe with an abundance of iron oxide.

Mars had oceans and lakes in the past, but later experienced global warming and climate change. Mars lost its lakes and oceans. Climate change is happening now and we know about it. What do the lessons of Mars have to do with the future of Earth?

Four years of data from Mars were compared to eight Earth years by her and her colleagues.

Some information is available to researchers, but most of the data can be accessed for free from NASA's Planetary Data Systems website. They collaborated with NASA scientists who have been key members of past missions, including the Mars Global Surveyor and two rovers, which are still operating on site.

Earth is just one planet if we open our eyes. We can't see a complete picture with just one point. To get a complete picture of the evolution of our own Earth, we have to look at all the planets. There are many things we can learn from other planets. What is the cause of climate change? What is the future phase for our planet? What is the evolution of Earth? There are so many things we can learn from other planets.

The other co-authors of the article were Michael Smith of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, David Kass and Armin Kleinb, both of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology, and Germ.

More information: Ellen Creecy et al, Mars' emitted energy and seasonal energy imbalance, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2022). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2121084119 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Citation: Buildup of solar heat likely contributes to Mars' dust storms, researchers find (2022, May 17) retrieved 17 May 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-05-buildup-solar-contributes-mars-storms.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.