New doubts about the exciting discovery: but there is no liquid water at the south pole of Mars?

There are new doubts about the sudden discovery of possible lakes under the surface of Mars. According to ongoing research work, the measurement results can also be interpreted with a certain height of ice and rock layers, and liquid water will not be necessary for this. Now introduced the three planetary scientists from Cornell University. Using computer simulations, the team was able to show that the reflections found could only be caused by the overlap between the geological layers.

I found reflections without liquid water

Along with other recent work, her work has reinforced doubts about the reported discovery in 2018 of liquid water under the surface of Mars, Explanation of researchers. In fact, it was previously certain that it was too cold to be everywhere on Mars for liquid water. But the reflections found by the European Space Agency’s Mars Express spacecraft’s radar were already there and need to be explained, says study leader Dan Lalish. That’s why he and his team simulated radar reflections from different layers of the atmosphere, water, glacial carbon dioxide, and basalt.

They discovered that how the layers are formed is less important to the strength of the reflections than their strength and distance from each other. “We’ve shown that it is possible to create brilliant reflections without liquid water,” Lalich explains. Their work does not refute the possibility of liquid water, but the new hypothesis fits the observations better. The planetary researcher believes that it is possible that only drilling at the site can provide a definitive answer. research work It was published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

Whether there is water (liquid) on Mars is one of the most important current planetary research. To answer it, various sensors and roving vehicles collect data in the field. Until now, it is generally accepted that liquid water once existed on the Red Planet, but doubts have been raised. After the amazing discovery of Mars Express in 2018, there was also the possibility that liquid water could still be there. More research has already raised doubts about this, but there has also been work supporting the interpretation of the data.

(mo)