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Published Online December 5, 2002
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1080497

Reports

Submitted on November 14, 2002
Accepted on November 25, 2002

Exposed Water Ice Discovered Near the South Pole of Mars

Timothy N. Titus 1, Hugh H. Kieffer 1, Phillip R. Christensen 2

1 Branch of Astrogeology, U.S. Geological Survey, 2255 North Gemini Drive, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA.
2 Department of Geological Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.

The Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) has discovered water ice exposed near the edge of Mars' southern perennial polar cap. The surface H2O ice was first observed by THEMIS as a region that was cooler than expected for dry soil at this latitude during the summer season. Diurnal and seasonal temperature trends derived from Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) observations indicate that there is water ice at the surface. Viking observations, and the few other relevant THEMIS observations, indicate that surface water ice may be widespread around and under the perennial CO2 cap.


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