Tags: Research, Science, Technology, Climate Change, Climate

Mars at the present time is the second most studied planet of the Solar System after our own Earth. Its atmosphere, surface, and sub-surface have been the subjects of several successful spacecraft and robotic missions as well as theoretical studies carried out with numerical models of increasing degree of sophistication and complexity. The interest in investigating its remote past, both from the observational and the modeling point of view, has also grown. At present, Mars is cold, dry, bombarded by radiation and covered by oxidants; a very hostile environment for life. According to recent observations from Mars Odyssey, Mars Express and the Mars Exploration Rovers, though, between 4.5 and 3.5 billion years ago it might have been a very different planet: stable liquid water on its surface might have created a warm and moist environment, prompting the emergence of life [2]. What then is the future of Mars? Is the concept of “climate change” relevant for its future?

Montabone_Mars_commentary.pdf