Climatological Controls On The Chemical Stratigraphy Of
The Martian Polar Layer Deposits.
E. Vos, O. Aharonson1 , Dept. Of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Weizmann Institute Of Science, Rehovot, Israel
(Eran.Vos@Weizmann.Ac.Il), 1 Also At: Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Arizona, Usa., N. SchöRghofer, Planetary
Science Institute, Tucson, Arizona, Usa., F. Forget, E. Millour, Laboratoire De MéTéOrologie Dynamique/Ipsl,
Sorbonne Université, Ens, Psl Research University, Ecole Polytechnique, Cnrs, Paris, France, L. Rossi, M. Vals,
F. Montmessin, Laboratoire AtmosphèRes, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (Latmos/Cnrs), Paris, France.
Introduction
The Growth Of The North Polar Layered Deposits (Npld)
At The Expense Of Tropical Ice Is Thought To Have Started
Approximately 4.5 Myr Ago [1] When The Mean Obliquity
Dropped From ∼35◦ To ∼25◦ [2]. During This Epoch, The
Obliquity Has Varied Between 15◦ And 35◦ , And The Eccentricity Between 0 And 0.13 [2]. Alternating Layers Seen
In The Npld In Images [3] And Radar Data [4] Provide An
Archive Of Past Climate Oscillations, That Are Widely Held
To Be Linked To Orbital Variations[5, 1, 6, And Many Others]. Ice Also Exists In The Subsurface; Both Theoretical
And Observational Work Show That Shallow Ground-Ice Is
Abundant In The Mid To High Latitudes [7, 8, 9] The Volume
Fraction And Extent Of The Subsurface Ice Can Alter The Atmospheric Energy Budget By Storing And Releasing Heat
At Different Times, And This In Turn Can Influence The Physical And Chemical Evolution Of The Polar Caps [9, 10]. On