The Martian hydrologic cycle: Effects of CO2 mass flux on global water distribution |
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| Authors: | Philip B James |
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| Institution: | Physics Department, University of Missouri—St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63121, USA |
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| Abstract: | The Martian CO2 cycle, which includes the seasonal condensation and subsequent sublimation of up to 30% of the planet's atmosphere, produces meridional winds due to the consequent mass flux of CO2. These winds currently display strong seasonal and hemispheric asymmetries due to the large asymmetries in the distribution of insolation on Mars. It is proposed that asymmetric meridional advection of water vapor on the planet due to these CO2 condensation winds is capable of explaining the observed dessication of Mars' south polar region at the current time. A simple model for water vapor transport is used to verify this hypothesis and to speculate on the effects of changes in orbital parameters on the seasonal water cycle. |
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