Differential transmission of sunlight on Mars: Biological implications |
| |
| Authors: | Carl Sagan James B Pollack |
| |
| Institution: | Laboratory for Planetary Studies, Cornell University Ithaca, New York 14850, USA;Theoretical Division NASA Ames Research Center Mountain View, California 94040, USA |
| |
| Abstract: | A euphotic zone seems to exist at about 1 cm subsurface in the Martian epilith. At this depth visible light is still intense enough to be utilized by conceivable photosynthetic organisms; but the germicidal ultraviolet intensities at the Martian surface have been reduced to values manageable by terrestrial life. Such euphotic zone organisms would experience moderately high Martian temperatures at equatorial latitudes and can be dispersed readily during global dust stroms. During such storms the Martian euphotic zone may reach the surface. The aerosol content of the Martian atmosphere can be monitored by multiband single line scans of the sun at large zenith angles by the Viking lander camera; and the postulated euphotic zone organisms can be searched for with the Viking lander sample arm and biology experiments. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
