2016/06/16 by Casey J. Handmer, Handmer, Casey J.
Physics and Astronomy · Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Planetary Science and Exploration #Marine and environmental studies #Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1606.05224
Under a terraforming scenario, a reactivated hydrological cycle on Mars will\nresult in upwards movement of water due to evaporation and precipitation. If\nMars' embryonic fossilized catchments provide inadequate drainage, Mars'\nlimited supplies of water may be absorbed entirely by crater lakes and\nglaciers, with negative consequences for the terraforming effort. We\ndemonstrate a stable, convergent algorithm for the efficient modeling of water\nflow over disordered terrain. This model is applied to Mars Orbital Laser\nAltimeter data and successfully predicts the formation of fossilized waterways\nand canyons visible only at much higher resolution. This exploratory study\nsuggests that despite its impossibly rugged appearance, ancient water flows\nhave carved channels that provide effective drainage over the majority of Mars'\nsurface. We also provide one possible reconstruction of a terraformed surface\nwater distribution.\n