A new Martian climate model suggest a mostly cold, harsh environment

The Curiosity rover was sent up the Mount Sharp, the biggest sediments stack on Mars. On the way, it collected samples that indicated a portion of carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere might have been sequestered in the sedimentary rocks, just as it happens with limestone on Earth. This would have drawn carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, reducing the greenhouse effect that warmed the planet.

Based on these findings, a team of scientists led by Benjamin Tutolo, a researcher at the University of Calgary, used this data to conclude Mars had a carbon cycle that could explain the presence of liquid water on its surface. Building on that earlier work, a team led by Edwin Kite, a professor of planetary science at the University of Chicago (and member of the Curiosity science team) has now built the first Martian climate model that took these new results into account. The ...