| 30503 |
Creator |
18324d1cfbffe09df10cfaa5ff6c7a2b |
| 30503 |
Creator |
bd12e480200a0e58504d6106bfed3c8a |
| 30503 |
Creator |
1bdcb1ed3c1e6c3763c915e3cb6910ae |
| 30503 |
Creator |
ext-90263c7c2c9b6dea12ad7bb56a418e27 |
| 30503 |
Creator |
ext-1136bcdb3e51fce7c45ed55bf849aed2 |
| 30503 |
Date |
2012 |
| 30503 |
Date |
2012 |
| 30503 |
Is Part Of |
p6a0417954980e66cf11d999a1061e387 |
| 30503 |
Is Part Of |
repository |
| 30503 |
abstract |
Investigations of Mars as a potential location for life often make the assumption
that where there are habitats, they will contain organisms. However, the observation
of the ubiquitous distribution of life in habitable environments on the Earth does
not imply the presence of life in martian habitats. Although uninhabited habitats
are extremely rare on the Earth, a lack of a productive photosynthetic biosphere on
Mars to generate organic carbon and oxygen, thus providing a rapidly available redox
couple for energy acquisition by life and/or a lack of connectivity between habitats
potentially increases the scope and abundance of uninhabited habitats for much of
the geological history of the planet. Uninhabited habitats could have existed on Mars
from the Noachian to the present-day in impact hydrothermal systems, megaflood systems,
lacustrine environments, transient melted permafrost, gullies and local regions of
volcanic activity; and there may be evidence for them in martian meteorites. Uninhabited
habitats would provide control habitats to investigate the role of biology in planetary-scale
geochemical processes on the Earth and they would provide new constraints on the habitability
of Mars. Future robotic craft and samples returned from Mars will be able to directly
show if uninhabited habitats exist or existed on Mars. |
| 30503 |
abstract |
Investigations of Mars as a potential location for life often make the assumption
that where there are habitats, they will contain organisms. However, the observation
of the ubiquitous distribution of life in habitable environments on the Earth does
not imply the presence of life in martian habitats. Although uninhabited habitats
are extremely rare on the Earth, a lack of a productive photosynthetic biosphere on
Mars to generate organic carbon and oxygen, thus providing a rapidly available redox
couple for energy acquisition by life and/or a lack of connectivity between habitats
potentially increases the scope and abundance of uninhabited habitats for much of
the geological history of the planet. Uninhabited habitats could have existed on Mars
from the Noachian to the present-day in impact hydrothermal systems, megaflood systems,
lacustrine environments, transient melted permafrost, gullies and local regions of
volcanic activity; and there may be evidence for them in martian meteorites. Uninhabited
habitats would provide control habitats to investigate the role of biology in planetary-scale
geochemical processes on the Earth and they would provide new constraints on the habitability
of Mars. Future robotic craft and samples returned from Mars will be able to directly
show if uninhabited habitats exist or existed on Mars. |
| 30503 |
authorList |
authors |
| 30503 |
issue |
1 |
| 30503 |
issue |
1 |
| 30503 |
status |
peerReviewed |
| 30503 |
volume |
217 |
| 30503 |
volume |
217 |
| 30503 |
type |
AcademicArticle |
| 30503 |
type |
Article |
| 30503 |
label |
Cockell, Charles S. ; Balme, Matt ; Bridges, John C.; Davila, Alfonso and Schwenzer,
Susanne P. (2012). Uninhabited habitats on Mars. Icarus, 217(1) pp. 184–193.
|
| 30503 |
label |
Cockell, Charles S. ; Balme, Matt ; Bridges, John C.; Davila, Alfonso and Schwenzer,
Susanne P. (2012). Uninhabited habitats on Mars. Icarus, 217(1) pp. 184–193. |
| 30503 |
Title |
Uninhabited habitats on Mars |
| 30503 |
Title |
Uninhabited habitats on Mars |
| 30503 |
in dataset |
oro |