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NSF PR 03-149 - December 18, 2003
Note About
Images
Image 1
This image describes how ice ages begin on Mars. 1) During periods of high obliquity (tilt of the planet's axis) the poles receive more direct sunlight, causing water vapor to evaporate from ice trapped there, increasing humidity. 2) Global winds transport the more humid air from polar latitudes to lower latitudes. 3) The water vapor is deposited on the surface as snow and frost. 4) Higher humidity at the surface makes ice more stable at lower latitudes, allowing it to accumulate, causing glaciation.
Credit: Trent L. Schindler / National Science Foundation
Image 2
Buried glacier ice in the Beacon Valley, Antarctica.
Credit: David Marchant / National Science Foundation
Image 3
A satellite photo of a debris-covered glacier in Antarctica.
Image 4
A debris-covered glacier on Mars.
Image 5
Polygon-shaped features in the Dry Valleys.
Credit: David Marchant / National Science Foundation
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