The Water Cycle of a Cold Early Mars – and its Potential Role in the Persistence of a Northern Ocean

April 1, 2022

 

Investigations by robotic spacecraft have provided persuasive evidence that early Mars was water rich, hosting numerous lakes and possibly a northern ocean that covered as much as a third of the planet.

In this recording of a live online talk (held on April 1st 2022) Stephen Clifford reviews the evidence for such an ocean as well as the process that may have affected its timing, duration, and ultimate loss. This talk follows on from Mike Carr’s “Mars: Ancient rivers, lakes and oceans, but where is the water now?” given on November 5th 2021 (available in the Herschel Astronomy playlist here on our YouTube channel or on the BRLSI website – www.brlsi.org). The two lecturers co-operated on this new talk. Stephen Clifford is a Senior Research Scientist with the Planetary Science Institute in Flagstaff, Arizona, where he conducts research on the hydrologic and climatic behavior of water on Mars.

If you enjoyed this talk, you might like to explore more videos on Herschel & Astronomy.

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