HR: 09:30h
AN: P21A-07    [PDF]
TI: Density, Depth, and Distribution of seasonal CO$_2$ deposition on Mars
AU: * Aharonson, O
EM: oa@caltech.edu
AF: California Institute of Technology, MC 150-21, Pasadena, CA 91106 United States
AU: Zuber, M T
EM: zuber@mit.edu
AF: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139 United States
AU: Zuber, M T
EM: zuber@mit.edu
AF: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 920, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AU: Smith, D E
EM: dsmith@tharsis.gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 920, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AU: Neumann, G A
EM: neumann@tharsis.gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139 United States
AU: Neumann, G A
EM: neumann@tharsis.gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 920, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AU: Feldman, W C
EM: wfeldman@lanl.gov
AF: Los Alamos National Lab, MS D-466, Los Alamos, NM 87545 United States
AB: Recent observations of the polar cap mass changes by the Neutron Detector on board Mars Odyssey combined with observations of volume change from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter on board Mars Global Surveyor allow estimates of the density of the seasonal deposits. The resulting density is about 0.6 gm/cm$^3$, and while it is somewhat lower than previous estimates based on gravity and high-energy neutrons, we do not regard the various estimates as inconsistent since the error budgets are large. The derived density is about one third that of solid CO$_2$ ice, implying significant pore space in the deposits. Decomposition of the MOLA height changes demonstrates a spatial heterogeneity in frost/snow thickness, that in some cases, correlates with local geologic setting.
DE: 5462 Polar regions
DE: 5464 Remote sensing
DE: 6225 Mars
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting