Numerical simulations of radar echoes rule out basal CO2 ice deposits at Ultimi Scopuli, Mars

Article

Orosei, Roberto, Caprarelli, Graziella, Lauro, Sebastian, Pettinelli, Elena, Cartacci, Marco, Cicchetti, Andrea, Cosciotti, Barbara, De Lorenzis, Alessandro, De Nunzio, Giorgio, Mattei, Elisabetta, Nenna, Carlo, Noschese, Raffaella and Soldovieri, Francesco. 2022. "Numerical simulations of radar echoes rule out basal CO2 ice deposits at Ultimi Scopuli, Mars." Icarus. 386. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2022.115163
Article Title

Numerical simulations of radar echoes rule out basal CO2 ice deposits at Ultimi Scopuli, Mars

ERA Journal ID1066
Article CategoryArticle
AuthorsOrosei, Roberto, Caprarelli, Graziella, Lauro, Sebastian, Pettinelli, Elena, Cartacci, Marco, Cicchetti, Andrea, Cosciotti, Barbara, De Lorenzis, Alessandro, De Nunzio, Giorgio, Mattei, Elisabetta, Nenna, Carlo, Noschese, Raffaella and Soldovieri, Francesco
Journal TitleIcarus
Journal Citation386
Article Number115163
Number of Pages13
Year2022
PublisherElsevier
Place of PublicationUnited States
ISSN0019-1035
1090-2643
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2022.115163
Web Address (URL)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0019103522002652
Abstract

The principal objective of the radar sounder MARSIS experiment is to look for ice and water in the Martian subsurface. One particular focus of investigations, since 2005, has been the search for basal liquid water in the south polar layered deposits (SPLD). Anomalously strong basal echoes detected from four distinct areas at the base of the deposits at Ultimi Scopuli have been interpreted to indicate the presence of bodies of liquid water in this location, beneath a 1.5 km thick cover of ice and dust. Other explanations for the bright basal reflections have been proposed, however, including the possibility of constructive interference in layered media. Here, we test this mechanism through simulations of MARSIS radar signals propagating in models of CO2-H2O ice sequences. We then compare the results to real MARSIS data acquired over Ultimi Scopuli, finding that no CO2-H2O ice model sequence reproduces the set of real data. The results of our work have implications in relation to the global CO2 inventory of Mars.

KeywordsSPLD; Mars; MARSIS; CO2 ice ; Radar
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Byline AffiliationsNational Institute for Astrophysics, Italy
Centre for Astrophysics (Research)
Centre for Astrophysics
Third University of Rome, Italy
Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC), Italy
University of Salento, Italy
Institute for Electromagnetic Sensing of the Environment (IREA), Italy
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