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Global Warming Mostly Confirmed - On Mars

Posted by Hemos on from the balmy-times-by-the-mons dept.

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?"

9 of 325 comments (clear)

  1. Martian Rover? by onion2k · · Score: 3, Funny

    ..tougher emission controls on the next Martian rover..

    They have dogs there? So, emission controls like 'Don't crap of the Martian face' are needed?

    --
    http://twitter.com/onion2k
  2. Re:Quick, call GreenPeace! by Wyatt+Earp · · Score: 4, Funny

    Everyone warned the President what would happen if the US didn't sign on to the Kyoto Protocols.

    And it's happening as we speak.

    On Mars.

    Damn you Bush! Damn you!

  3. Is this part of a cycle? by mfarah · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just 23 months is pretty much nothing in terms of planetary cyclical events. Maybe this warming is just part of a very long cycle in Martian atmosphere, taking decades of even centuries, that we haven't observed yet. I'd hate to see the November 13, 2614 headlines of The Martian Times stating something like "Global cooling confirmed - atmosphere compromised".

    (BTW, will Greenpeace stablish a Martian Chapter called "Redpeace"?)

    --
    "Trust me - I know what I'm doing."
    - Sledge Hammer
  4. Well, that explains everything by Masem · · Score: 5, Funny
    Apparently Dennis Quaid finally reached the controls of the reactor.

    Expect blue skies on Mars in less than an hour!

    <joke>

    --
    "Pinky, you've left the lens cap of your mind on again." - P&TB
    "I can see my house from here!" - ST:
  5. Tax cuts for the wealthy... by Zigurd · · Score: 3, Funny

    Peter Jennings: "Tax cuts proposed by President Bush could jeopardize funding for a NASA/EPA mission to restore ice caps on Mars."

    Dan Rather: "Most scientists we talked to agreed the ice caps melted after the Mars rover landed. Have we created an SUV problem on Mars?"

    Oprah: "On today's show we have Jane A. Token, NASA's Director of Space Ecology, to give us the women's perspective on the future of space exploration."

    Tom Daschle: "We need the Republicans to stop blocking funding for our new program to hire Mars ice watchers as federal employees to raise the level of professionalism..."

    --
    I wrote parts of this stuff
  6. Re:Quick, call GreenPeace! by pgpckt · · Score: 5, Funny

    the Earth isn't currently the hottest it's been this millenium, much less the hottest ever.

    Hate to disagree, but it is the year 2001, making this millenium currently in its first year. Therefore, the temperatures being recorded now for this year are by definition the hottest of the millenium (and coldest too).

    --
    Lawrence Lessig is my personal hero.
  7. I wonder... by sirgoran · · Score: 2, Funny

    Can we then launch rockets of greenhouse gasses to Mars in order to speed up the process?

    If so, we could then begin to terraform the planet by sending probes with seeds or plants which can then begin growing once the temperature gets to a normal range.

    Then we could start a colony and clone really cute women that love geeks and then...

    whoops.

    Sorry.

    Got ahead of myself.

    Goran

    --
    Carpe Scrotum - The only way to deal with your competition.
  8. If this were really happening... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    The martians would grok it immediately and teach the atmosphere to cool down a bit.

  9. Naked Plants by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Hey! I'd pay subscription to see naked plants!