Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
10701861 | Icarus | 2005 | 13 Pages |
Abstract
Series of numerical experiments are performed using a general circulation model to gain insights on the hydrologic cycle on ancient Mars. Since the state of the ancient Mars atmosphere is not well constrained, we did not try to simulate an ancient Mars climate under warm and wet condition. In stead, we used an idealized model and tried to extract general features of the hydrologic cycle by modeling an ideal land planet that has no ocean on its surface. Four different climate regimes, “warm-upright,” “warm-oblique,” “frozen-upright,” and “frozen-oblique” regimes, are recognized depending on the inclination of the spin axis (obliquity) and average surface temperature. The period of active hydrologic cycle suggested from the geomorphology on Mars seems to be consistent with that at the “warm-oblique” regime, which appears at warm (above-freezing) environment with high-obliquity (higher than about 30°) condition.
Keywords
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Space and Planetary Science
Authors
Yutaka Abe, Atsushi Numaguti, Goro Komatsu, Yoshihide Kobayashi,