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Global Warming Mostly Confirmed - On Mars
dinotrac writes "A just-completed 23 month study, carried out over the course of a Martian year, found that the Martian polar ice caps are rapidly eroding, sending large amounts of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into the Martian atmosphere. If this pattern continues over time, Mars could go from a planet whose winters are cold enough for dry-ice snow to having a shirt sleeve atmosphere. Humans would still have to provide for oxygen, but plants could go naked.
I wonder if this means tougher emission controls on the next Martian rover?"
Maybe we aren't as significant as we think.
Maybe not, but maybe the two planets are too different to meaningfully compare in this situation.
Or maybe the same thing has happened on Earth already, and we're causing it to happen again, with potentially disastrous effects.
Or maybe, the same thing is happening on Earth, and life as it currently exists is doomed with or without us, but we've cut the timeframe down from millenia to decades.
Whatever, in the case of Mars, it's actually pretty cool if it helps to get the planet terraformed.
Cheers,
Tim
It's official. Most of you are morons.
1) Pick a good headline/title: "Global Warming Mostly Confirmed - On Mars"
2) Make claims even whey they don't make sense: "A just-completed 23 month study"
3) And keep making stupid statements: "If this pattern continues over time, Mars could go from a planet whose winters are cold enough for dry-ice snow to having a shirt sleeve atmosphere."
Let us see how does this all add up. We spent less than 2 years studying this planet called "Mars" and concluded/found-out that it is heading to its domes-day. Oh right? Does this makes sense to anyone?!!
Karma stuck at 50? Add 2-5 inches.. err.. 2-5x Karmas Count to your pen1es.. err.. Karma all naturally and private
Well, if enough people go on a climax-of-total-recall type midnight stroll through mars' atmosphere, perhaps the pressure will increase a little? I suggest starting with...
:) j/k
1: Most of the population from south of the mason-dixon line
2: Members of the Taliban, except osama, who should be executed in some unique medieval fashon
3: Racists
4: Sexists
5: Criminals
6: PETA Members
It's probably too late in the life of this post, but has anyone considered microbial contamination from the Soviet probe landings on the moon?
In other words, it's MORE likely than not that the Soviets had poor decontamination standards for their interplanetary probes. The Russians may have inadvertently introduced "life" on Mars. Such microbial life could be linked to the increase in atmospheric density.. while they do consume C02, they could also be releasing some from the "soil".
This isn't as far fetched as the hostile conditions could make it sound. We keep finding unique life forms on this planet, some found in the darndest places... in boiling water pits, trapped in glaciers, or miles beneath the Earth's surface. The best conditions on Mars are colder and harsher than our Northern and Southern poles, but life does still exist at our poles.
Some theorize that life on Earth did not "happen" here.. that it was transplanted here my space debris (comets?). Conditions for life to begin might not exist everywhere in the universe, but once it DOES exist... it's pretty damn hardy (especially the low-complexity stuff)!