20% of the surface of Mars was covered by the ocean
After 6 years of research, NASA experts found new evidence for the existence of the ancient Martian ocean about 4.5 billion years ago. Its area was larger than previously thought. The ocean was located in a lowland plain in the northern hemisphere of Mars for millions of years.
Scientists have discovered that in the atmosphere of Mars deuterium is 8 times more than in the atmosphere of Earth. These measurements allow us to determine how much water has been lost to space and how much was originally.
Measurements indicate that there was enough water on ancient Mars to cover the planet to a depth of at least 137 meters. They believe that the Red Planet may still have significant underground water reserves. While this is one of the theories.
Scientists generally agree that the lakes have existed for millions of years in different places, such as, for example, the Gale crater investigated by the Curiosity rover. But there is no understanding how the lakes were replenished, remaining relatively stable over millions of years; it is difficult to explain this without the ocean. From the open surface of the lakes, water evaporates quickly and is transferred to the poles.
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So far, climate models cannot explain how Mars could be warm enough in the early period to save water from freezing. Greenhouse gases could have made the planet much warmer at some point, but the interaction products of these gases were not yet found on the surface of Mars ... Climate models have great difficulty in reconstructing early Mars at temperatures high enough to allow surface melting and the existence of liquid water.
There are also no clear signs of topographic and geological features associated with the existence of large bodies of water on Earth, such as sea cliffs and coastlines.
The visualization of the ancient ocean can be viewed in a published video.
Scientists have discovered that in the atmosphere of Mars deuterium is 8 times more than in the atmosphere of Earth. These measurements allow us to determine how much water has been lost to space and how much was originally.
Measurements indicate that there was enough water on ancient Mars to cover the planet to a depth of at least 137 meters. They believe that the Red Planet may still have significant underground water reserves. While this is one of the theories.
Scientists generally agree that the lakes have existed for millions of years in different places, such as, for example, the Gale crater investigated by the Curiosity rover. But there is no understanding how the lakes were replenished, remaining relatively stable over millions of years; it is difficult to explain this without the ocean. From the open surface of the lakes, water evaporates quickly and is transferred to the poles.
')
So far, climate models cannot explain how Mars could be warm enough in the early period to save water from freezing. Greenhouse gases could have made the planet much warmer at some point, but the interaction products of these gases were not yet found on the surface of Mars ... Climate models have great difficulty in reconstructing early Mars at temperatures high enough to allow surface melting and the existence of liquid water.
There are also no clear signs of topographic and geological features associated with the existence of large bodies of water on Earth, such as sea cliffs and coastlines.
The visualization of the ancient ocean can be viewed in a published video.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/377105/
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