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The atmosphere of Mars is the layer of gases surrounding Mars.It is primarily composed of carbon dioxide (95%), molecular nitrogen (2.85%), and argon (2%). [3] It also contains trace levels of water vapor, oxygen, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and noble gases.
Methane (CH 4) is chemically unstable in the current oxidizing atmosphere of Mars. It would quickly break down due to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the Sun and chemical reactions with other gases. Therefore, a persistent or episodic presence of methane in the atmosphere may imply the existence of a source to continually replenish the gas.
In the summer of 2008, the TEGA and WCL experiments on the 2007 Phoenix Mars lander found between 3–5wt% (percent by weight) calcite (CaCO 3) and an alkaline soil. [65] In 2010, analyses by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit identified outcrops rich in magnesium-iron carbonate (16–34 wt%) in the Columbia Hills of Gusev crater. The magnesium ...
Unlike Earth, Mars does not have a global magnetic field to protect its atmosphere, leaving it vulnerable to solar ultraviolet radiation.
1995 photo of Mars showing approximate size of the polar caps. The planet Mars has two permanent polar ice caps of water ice and some dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide, CO 2).Above kilometer-thick layers of water ice permafrost, slabs of dry ice are deposited during a pole's winter, [1] [2] lying in continuous darkness, causing 25–30% of the atmosphere being deposited annually at either of the ...
The thin atmosphere also increases the variability of the planet's temperature. Martian surface temperatures vary from lows of approximately −140 °C (−220 °F) during the polar winters to highs of up to 20 °C (70 °F) in summers. The tenuous atmosphere of Mars visible on the horizon. Pits in south polar ice cap, MGS 1999, NASA
The atmosphere of Mars is relatively thin and has a very low surface pressure. Because its atmosphere consists mainly of CO 2, a known greenhouse gas, once Mars begins to heat, the CO 2 may help to keep thermal energy near the surface.
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