Shallow transient liquid water environments on present-day mars, and their implications for life
Section snippets
Introduction & background
All known active life requires liquid water. This observation, and the remarkable adaptations shown by life in even the most inhospitable environments where liquid water is available, has guided the search for life on other planets. For terrestrial-like life to exist in the harsh conditions that dominate the surfaces of other rocky planets, our current understanding suggests that minimum fundamental requirements of liquid water, nutrients, and a gradient in chemical energy must be met. Within
Phoenix
The Phoenix Lander (PL) was active in the northern arctic from May-November 2008, during which time it provided the first compelling evidence of present-day liquid water on Mars. Observations by PL significantly shifted the understanding of liquid water availability in the shallow regolith and the importance of salts in enabling liquid to persist in Mars' significantly sub-zero conditions. In early images, spherical droplets were detected on the landing struts with their size correlated with
Habitability of transient brines
The ability of salts on Mars to temporarily liquefy by the absorption of atmospheric liquid water provides an important source of water for potential biology within the subsurface diffusion depth of water vapour, and potentially within longer term liquid water environments at greater depth. Although carbonate and sulfate brines may be the most abundant (due to those salts occurring in higher concentrations, Table 2), limited information is currently available on their water activity. It is
Conclusion
There is now strong evidence that shallow transient liquid water exists at a broad range of latitudes and seasons on Mars. In situ observations by the Phoenix Lander and Curiosity Rover demonstrate that salts readily form transient hydrates and liquid films on Mars throughout the top tens of centimetres of the martian subsurface, and likely persistent brines at greater depth. These brines accumulate to sufficient volume to influence surface features, as indicated by the formation of recurrent
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