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American Geophysical Union, Geophysical Research Letters, 12(32), p. n/a-n/a, 2005

DOI: 10.1029/2005gl022645

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Mars at very low obliquity: Atmospheric collapse and the fate of volatiles

Journal article published in 2005 by M. A. Kreslavsky ORCID, J. W. Head
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

The obliquity of the Martian spin axis is known to undergo quasiperiodic oscillations superposed over chaotic long-term variations. It is probable that within past history there were geologically long periods when the obliquity oscillated around low (10-15°) mean values. During such low obliquity epochs the climate system is controlled by deposition of permanent solid CO2 deposits in the polar regions. With a simple season-resolved energy balance model, we show that as the atmosphere collapses, surface topography plays a major role in CO2 condensation and sublimation processes, defining distribution and dynamics of CO2 deposits. Thick CO2 deposits are formed at steep pole-facing topographic slopes at moderately high latitudes, not at the poles. The total mass of the deposits is not a function of obliquity, but strongly depends on the pre-history of the climate system. We outline criteria to identify such low-obliquity epochs in Mars history.