Scientist Found water on MarsUK scientists have detected water on Mars. Scientists have gathered new evidence for the possible existence of liquid water under the ‘ice cap’ at Mars’ South Pole.
Scientists from Cambridge University, in collaboration with the University of Sheffield, identified a very small pattern in the height of Mars. According to the report published in ‘Nature Astronomy’, the evidence found in the investigation indicates that there is water in liquid form under the South Pole of Mars. They showed that these patterns matched predictions of computer models of how there is water beneath the ‘ice cap’.
What do the results indicate
Study co-author Francis Butcher of the University of Sheffield said, “This study provides the best detail so far that there is water in liquid form on Mars today. This means that the two important facts we look for when searching for sub-glacier lakes on Earth have now been found on Mars as well.”
There is water but no life is known
Water in liquid form is an important factor for life, but it does not necessarily mean that life exists on Mars. The researchers also noted that for water to be in liquid form, even in cold temperatures, it is necessary that the water below the South Pole is actually salty. However, it would be difficult for any microorganism to thrive in such salty water.
Like Earth, Mars has thick water ice on both poles. Which is similar to the ice sheet of Greenland. The polar ‘ice cap’ on Mars was until now believed to have solid ice up to its surface due to the cold climate, unlike the water flowing beneath the ice sheets on Earth and even the large sub-glacier lakes.
Water in sub-glaciers of Mars
Professor Neil Arnold, from the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge, said: “The new structure evidence, the results of our computer models, and the combination of radar data make it more likely that at least one region on Mars today has sub-glaciers. Water exists in liquid form and that Mars must still be active in geothermal form to keep the water below the ‘ice cap’ liquid.”
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