The Mars-Ice project is a joint project between the USGS Astrogeology Research Program (Flagstaff, AZ) and the Arizona State University Mars Space Flight Facilty (Tempe, AZ) to bring together a single resource for the exploration of martian ices. Much of this research is done at the USGS Flagstaff Science Center.

Why Study Ice on Mars?

On Earth, there’s a plethora of variables driving environmental change, from natural processes to the activities of humans. While Mars is most similar to Earth of all the known extraterrestrial worlds, its climate is still extremely different from our watery abode. The recent discovery of ice on the red planet’s surface has given us a new climate driver to study. Understanding the behavior and history of ice on Mars will give us an ever increasing understanding of our neighbor’s climate.

References

  • 2005-03: Tracking Retreat of the North Seasonal Ice Cap on Mars: Results from the THEMIS Investigation (on the web) Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 36: A. B. Ivanov, K. L. Wagstaff, T. N. Titus
  • 2005-03: Thermal Inertia of the Arsia Mons Caldera: A Site for Nightly CO2 Condensation (on the web) Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 36: G. C. Cushing, T. N. Titus
  • 2005-03: Spatial Deconvolution of Mars Odyssey Neutron Spectroscopy Data: Analysis of Mars Southern Seasonal Cap (on the web) Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 36: T. H. Prettyman, R. C. Elphic, W. C. Feldman, J. R. Murphy, S. Nelli, T. N. Titus, R. L. Tokar
  • 2005-03: Nature of the South Pole on Mars Determined by Topographic Forcing of Atmosphere Dynamics (on the web) Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 36: A. Colaprete, J. R. Barnes, R. M. Haberle, J. L. Hollingsworth, H. H. Kieffer, T. N. Titus
  • 2005-03: Towards Onboard Orbital Tracking of Seasonal Polar Volatiles on Mars (on the web) Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 36: K. L. Wagstaff, R. Castano, S. Chien, A. B. Ivanov
  • 2005-03: Mars Polar Cap Edges Tracked Over 3 Full Mars Years (on the web) Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 36: T. N. Titus
  • 2005-03: Model Development and Testing for THEMIS Controlled Mars Mosiacs (on the web) Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 36: B. A. Archinal, S. Sides, L. Weller, G. C. Cushing, T. N. Titus, R. L. Kirk, L. A. Solderblom, T. C. Duxbury
  • 2005-02: A Microphysically-based Approach to Modeling Emissivity and Albedo of the Martian Seasonal Caps (on the web) Icarus V174 12: J. Eluszkiewicz, J. Moncet, T. N. Titus, G. B. Hansen
  • 2005-02: Evidence for Subsurface Water Ice in Korolev Crater, Mars (on the web) Icarus V174 12: J. C. Armstrong, T. N. Titus, H. H. Kieffer
  • 2004-12: Some Mars South Polar Swiss CheeseTerrain has Warm Walls (on the web) American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2004: T. N. Titus, G. C. Cushing, A. V. Pathare, P. R. Christensen
  • 2004-10: Exploring Martian Polar Atmospheric Circulation and Surface Interactions (on the web) EOS Transactions AGU V85 141: T. H. Prettyman, T. N. Titus
  • 2004-04: Mars: Water, Water Everywhere (on the web) Nature V428 16983: T. N. Titus
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  • 2004-03: Seasonal Variations within Korolev Crater, Mars (on the web) Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 35: J. C. Armstrong, T. N. Titus, H. H. Kieffer
  • 2004-03: Summer Season Variability of the North Residual Cap of Mars from MGS-TES (on the web) Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 35: W. M. Calvin, T. N. Titus
  • 2004-03: Reconciling Different Observations of the CO2 Ice Mass Loading of the Martian North Polar Cap (on the web) Geophysical Research Letters V31 15: R. M. Haberle, B. Mattingly, T. N. Titus
  • 2003-12: Seasonal Variations of Albedo and Temperature of the North Polar Cap of Mars (on the web) American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2003: S. A. Mahoney, W. M. Calvin, T. N. Titus
  • 2003-12: Seasonal Variations of Thermophysical Units Within Korolev Crater, Mars (on the web) American Astronomical Society Meeting 203: J. C. Armstrong, T. N. Titus, H. H. Kieffer
  • 2003-10: THEMIS Visible Imaging of the South Polar Layered Deposits, Martian Southern Spring, 2003 (on the web) Mars Polar Science Conference 3: J. J. Plaut, P. R. Christensen, K. Bender, J. F. Bell, L. Cherednik, A. B. Ivanov, H. H. Kieffer, T. McConnochie, M. I. Richardson, T. N. Titus
  • 2003-10: South Polar Cryptic Region Revisited: THEMIS Observations (on the web) Mars Polar Science Conference 36: T. N. Titus, H. H. Kieffer, J. J. Plaut, P. R. Christensen, A. B. Ivanov
  • 2003-10: A Microphysically-based Approach to Inferring Porosity, Grain Sice, and Dust Abundance in the Seasonal Caps from Atmospherically-corrected TES Spectra (on the web) Mars Polar Science Conference 3: J. Eluszkiewicz, T. N. Titus
  • 2003-10: Constracing on the Within Season and Between Year Variability of the North Residual Cap from MGS-TES (on the web) Mars Polar Science Conference 3: W. M. Calvin, T. N. Titus, S. A. Mahoney
  • 2003-10: Reconciling the MOLA, TES, and Neutron Observations of the North Polar CO2 Mass Budget on Mars (on the web) Mars Polar Science Conference 35: R. M. Haberle, B. Mattingly, T. N. Titus
  • 2003-07: Temporal and Spatial Distribution of Seasonal CO2 Snow and Ice (on the web) Sixth International Conference on Mars: T. N. Titus, H. H. Kieffer
  • 2003-07: Analysis of Properties of the North Polar Layered Deposits: THEMIS Data in Context of MGS Data (on the web) Sixth International Conference on Mars: A. B. Ivanov, S. Byrne, M. I. Richardson, A. R. Vasavada, T. N. Titus, J. F. Bell, T. McConnochie, P. R. Christensen
  • 2003-07: A Novel Approach to Modeling Emissivity and Albedo of the Martian Seasonal Caps (on the web) Sixth International Conference on Mars: J. Eluszkiewicz, T. N. Titus
  • 2003-06 Morphology and Composition of the Surface of Mars: Mars Odyssey THEMIS Results (on the web) Science V300 15628: P. R. Christensen, J. L. Bandfield, J. F. Bell, N. Gorelick, V. E. Hamilton, A. B. Ivanov, B. M. Jakosky, H. H. Kieffer, M. D. Lane, et. al.
  • 2003-03: Martian South Polar Deformation and Sublimation Processes (on the web) Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 34: S. N. Brightwell, J. S. Kargel, T. N. Titus
  • 2003-03: Early Results from the Odyssey THEMIS Investigation (on the web) Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 34: P. R. Christensen, J. L. Bandfield, J. F. Bell, V. E. Hamilton, A. B. Ivanov, B. M. Jakosky, H. H. Kieffer, M. D. Lane, M. C. Malin, et. al.
  • 2003-02: Exposed Water Ice Discovered near the South Pole of Mars (on the web) Science V299 15609: T. N. Titus, H. H. Kieffer, P. R. Christensen
  • 2003-01: CO2 Cycle: Two Martian Years of Polar IR Observations (on the web) Mars Atmosphere Modelling and Observations Workshop 2003: T. N. Titus
  • 2002-12: Exposed Water ice Discovered Near the South Pole of Mars (on the web) American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2002: T. N. Titus, H. H. Kieffer, P. R. Christensen
  • 2002-12: Morphological analysis of the Mars polar terrains based on the THEMIS data (on the web) American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2002: A. B. Ivanov, H. H. Kieffer, T. N. Titus, J. J. Plaut, M. I. Richardson, S. Byrne, P. R. Christensen, G. L. Mehall
  • 2002-10: The carbon dioxide cycle on Mars (on the web) 34th COSPAR Scientific Assembly, The Second World Space Congress: P. James, G. B. Hansen, T. N. Titus
  • 2002-09: Application of a Sintering Model to the Analysis of TES Spectra of the Seasonal Caps (on the web) American Astronomical Society Meeting DPS #34 #15.22, Bulletin Vol 34: J. Eluszkiewicz, T. N. Titus
  • 2002-03: A Comparison of the Mars South Polar Recession Rates Between 1999 and 2001 (on the web) Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 33: T. N. Titus, H. H. Kieffer
  • 2001-11: IR Spectral Properties of Dust and Ice at the Mars South Polar Cap (on the web) American Astronomical Society Meeting DPS #33 #19.15, Bulletin Vol 33: T. N. Titus, H. H. Kieffer
  • 2001-11: Analysis of Multi-Angle Infrared Observations of the Mars South Polar Cap Abstract for TES Workshop: T. N. Titus, H. H. Kieffer
  • 2001-11: Application of a Sintering Model TES Workshop: J. Eluszkiewicz, T. N. Titus
  • 2001-10: Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer Experiment: Investigation Description and Surface Science Results (on the web) Journal of Geophysical Research V106 IE10: P. R. Christensen, J. L. Bandfield, V. E. Hamilton, S. W. Ruff, H. H. Kieffer, T. N. Titus, M. C. Malin, R. V. Morris, M. D. Lane, et. al.
  • 2001-10: TES Premapping Data: Slab Ice and Snow Flurries in the Martian North Polar Night (on the web) Journal of Geophysical Research V106 IE10: T. N. Titus, H. H. Kieffer, K. Mullins, P. R. Christensen
  • 2000-10: TES Mapping Data: Recession of the Mars Polar Caps (on the web) American Astronomical Society Meeting DPS #32 #59.01, Bulletin V32: T. N. Titus, H. H. Kieffer, P. R. Christensen
  • 2000-08: An Overview of TES Polar Observations to Date (on the web) International Conference on Mars Polar Science and Exploration: H. H. Kieffer, T. N. Titus, K. Mullins
  • 2000-04: Mars South Polar Spring and Summer Behavior Observed by TES: Seasonal Cap Evolution Controlled by Frost Grain Size (on the web) Journal of Geophysical Research V105 IE4: H. H. Kieffer, T. N. Titus, K. Mullins, P. R. Christensen
  • 1999-11: Slab Ice and Snow Flurries in the Martian Polar Night (on the web) EOS Transactions AGU V80: T. N. Titus, H. H. Kieffer, K. Mullins, P. R. Christensen
  • 1999-11: TES and IRTM Observations of the Martian Seasonal Cap Behavior Around the M98 Landing Site (on the web) EOS Transactions AGU V80: H. H. Kieffer, K. Mullins, T. N. Titus
  • 1998-11: TES Pre-Mapping-Phase Polar Observations (on the web) EOS Transactions AGU V79: H. H. Kieffer, K. Mullins, T. N. Titus
  • 1998-11: The Martian Surface As Investigated by the Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer Experiment (on the web) EOS Transactions AGU V79: P. R. Christensen, et. al.
  • 1998-09: TES Observations of the South Pole (on the web) American Astronomical Society Meeting DPS #30 #20.05, Bulletin V30: T. N. Titus, H. H. Kieffer, K. Mullins
  • 1998-03: Early TES Observations of the South Polar Region (on the web) Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 29: H. H. Kieffer, T. N. Titus, K. Mullins
  • 1998-01: Thermal Emission Spectrometer Observations of the South and North Polar Regions During the First Phase of Aerobraking Orbits (on the web) International Conference on Mars Polar Science and Exploration 1: H. H. Kieffer, T. N. Titus, K. Mullins