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New Data Indicates Arctic-Ocean Sized Body of Water on Ancient Mars

Posted by timothy on from the sounds-brisk dept.

mdsolar writes After six years of planetary observations, scientists at NASA say they have found convincing new evidence that ancient Mars had an ocean. It was probably the size of the Arctic Ocean, larger than previously estimated, the researchers reported on Thursday. The body of water spread across the low-lying plain of the planet's northern hemisphere for millions of years, they said. If confirmed, the findings would add significantly to scientists' understanding of the planet's history and lend new weight to the view that ancient Mars had everything needed for life to emerge. Update: 03/05 22:42 GMT by T : Correction: that headline should have read "Arctic" initially, rather than Antarctic.

58 comments

  1. Eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Slashdot headline: "Antarctic ocean-sized"
    Slashdot summary: "Arctic ocean sized"
    Actual article: ??? (did not read)
    Step 4: PROFIT!!

    1. Re:Eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Slashdot headline: "Antarctic ocean-sized"
      Slashdot summary: "Arctic ocean sized"
      Actual article: ??? (did not read)
      Step 4: PROFIT!!

      Which pointless comparison should I use!!! And how does it convert to sizes-of-texas (something Ameraicans care about).

    2. Re:Eh? by rossdee · · Score: 1

      I didn't know that there was an "Antarctic ocean"

    3. Re:Eh? by youn · · Score: 1

      And more importantly how many libraries of congress is that :p

      --
      Never antropomorphize computers, they do not like that :p
    4. Re:Eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Antarctic Ocean is one of the world's five oceans. It's sometimes referred to as the Southern Ocean.

    5. Re:Eh? by garyebickford · · Score: 1

      Per The Register, should be 'Olympic-size Swimming Pools' - or Bulgarian Funbags, but the number would be large.

      --
      It's easier to be a result of the past, but more fun to be a cause of the future! http://www.spacefinancegroup.com/
    6. Re:Eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Since you're too fucking lazy to Google it:

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Ocean

      "The Southern Ocean (also known as the Great Southern Ocean, Antarctic Ocean, South Polar Ocean, and Austral Ocean) comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60S latitude and encircling Antarctica."

    7. Re:Eh? by RenderSeven · · Score: 1

      I get 4.7 trillion olympic swimming pools

      FTA - enough to cover 17% of the earth, to a depth of 450 feet. (scribble scribble scribble carry the one, 2500 m3 per pool...)

    8. Re:Eh? by The+Grim+Reefer · · Score: 3, Informative

      My globe only has 4 oceans. And my American flag has 48 stars. ;-)

    9. Re:Eh? by losfromla · · Score: 1

      No:
      Update: 03/05 22:42 GMT by T : Correction: that headline should have read "Arctic" initially, rather than Antarctic.

      --
      Only I can judge you.
  2. Global Warming Wiped Out Mars? by omfglearntoplay · · Score: 2

    You just get that feeling sometimes that humans, I mean Martians, wiped out the planet. It'd make a great movie anyway!

    1. Re:Global Warming Wiped Out Mars? by DigiShaman · · Score: 4, Interesting

      No, the magnetic field wasn't strong enough to shield against solar wind erosion.

      --
      Life is not for the lazy.
    2. Re:Global Warming Wiped Out Mars? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You don't get dibs on that movie. Shooting is already commencing on Earth.

    3. Re:Global Warming Wiped Out Mars? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You don't know that. We don't even know what made Mars's magnetic field disappear.

    4. Re:Global Warming Wiped Out Mars? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do we even know if it originally had one?

    5. Re:Global Warming Wiped Out Mars? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's irrelevant because A) we know now that currently the field ISN'T strong enough, and B) the original premise 'global warming wiped out Mars' makes absolutely no sense in the first place. The alternative of solar wind erosion not only fits the available evidence, but is not directly relevant to the fact that it was almost obviously NOT global warming.

    6. Re:Global Warming Wiped Out Mars? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I can't say for certain, but evidence shows that it once did.

    7. Re:Global Warming Wiped Out Mars? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      That is irrelevant to the course of the discussion. Non-sequitur much?

      Mars once had a magnetic field that was obviously strong enough to prevent solar erosion for some amount of time. At some point, it lost that magnetic field which turned Mars into the dustball that we know of today.

    8. Re:Global Warming Wiped Out Mars? by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 1

      Mars once had a magnetic field that was obviously strong enough to prevent solar erosion for some amount of time.

      ...or...

      Mars was producing more gas than it was losing due to solar winds.

    9. Re:Global Warming Wiped Out Mars? by Maritz · · Score: 1

      It's a tenth the mass of Earth, so it isn't that much of a stretch to suggest that its core froze up. Presumably because it was smaller and lost heat much more rapidly than a larger planet would. Solid core, no dynamo, no field. Seems reasonable to me.

      --
      I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.
    10. Re:Global Warming Wiped Out Mars? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Actually current evidence suggests that Mars sustained a major collision that caused it to lose its magnetic field.

  3. Arctic or Antarctic? by r_jensen11 · · Score: 1

    Headline says one (Antarctic) while the summary says the other (Arctic). It's like swapping the Tropic of Cancer with the Tropic of Capricorn....

    1. Re:Arctic or Antarctic? by NEDHead · · Score: 1

      Oh crap! Are we going to start getting bombarded by donation requests from the American Capricorn Society now?

  4. Ocean sizes by Dan+East · · Score: 4, Informative

    First of all, the Slashdot headline is wrong. It is "arctic ocean" sized, not antarctic. Second, the article makes another comparison that makes more sense, since Mars and Earth aren't the same size (how big would the arctic ocean be placed on mars? Not something we can visualize). That is the ocean on Mars covered slightly more of the planet than the Atlantic ocean covers on Earth - the Mars ocean covered 19% of the planet, while the Atlantic covers 17% of the Earth. Of course the volume of water and depths are totally different.

    --
    Better known as 318230.
    1. Re:Ocean sizes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Of course the volume of water and depths are totally different.

      Why is it obvious that the depths are totally different? Mars's ocean depth was 137 meters vs 3,339 metres for the Atlantic Ocean, but I had to look it up.

  5. Antarctic vs. Arctic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Same diff, right?

    http://www.adventure-life.com/articles/pole-comparison-180

  6. Let's get going, then by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Drain that sucker, and put up some condominiums.

  7. Years and years of dupes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    For years and years now, water on mars this. evidence of water on mars that. will it ever stop?

    1. Re:Years and years of dupes by fisted · · Score: 1

      you probably missed that years ago it was about 'maybe kinda sorta a trace of water' and is now arrived at 'ocean-sized volume'

      --
      CLI paste? paste.pr0.tips!
    2. Re:Years and years of dupes by Maritz · · Score: 1

      Presumably, if the endless flow of evidence dries up, it will stop. Will it? Nah. So you can skip past next time and save yourself the onerous task of commenting on an article that you find boring.

      --
      I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.
  8. If there was water, there probably still is water by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If so, it would be underground.

    The next step might be seismic mapping to see.

    This would take a fleet of the last, bigger rovers with thumpers and sensors.

    Seems a small step compared to sending folks there.

    I bet we would learn something interesting from the underground maps even if we find no water.

  9. Use proper units by OrangeTide · · Score: 4, Funny

    Number of [American] football fields or GTFO.

    --
    “Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
    1. Re:Use proper units by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ounces

    2. Re:Use proper units by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Here we have a typical case of didn't pay attention in school.

      Footballl fields is a measure of lenght.

      For area, you use Rhode Islands or Texases

    3. Re:Use proper units by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Shouldn't we be talking massive volumes ? Like yo' momma ?

      PUBLIC SCHOOL, WHAT.

    4. Re:Use proper units by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Correct. The ancient Martian ocean was the same size as 39 Texases, or 8,700 Rhode Islands. Or you could measure the volume with, of course, Olympic swimming pools. 7.91 trillion of them.

    5. Re:Use proper units by OrangeTide · · Score: 1

      length? no, you're thinking of dollar bills stretched end to end.

      I forget height, hustler magazines?

      Where I grew up volume was measured in number of one of the great lakes, usually number of Lake Superiors. Pity none of us kids really had a sense of how deep the lakes are let alone their volume.

      volume elsewhere is always Olympic swimming pools, but I think mini vans would be easier to comprehend. (if you've ever had to go on a trip in a minivan)

      --
      “Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
    6. Re:Use proper units by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sorry, I measure in Olympic Swimming Pools only.

  10. The evidence is that the water left by mdsolar · · Score: 1

    The enhanced deuterium indicates much of the original hydrogen escaped to space.

  11. 1, 3, 4 or 5? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) says there are 4 oceans.

    I think there is just one ocean, as they are all very well connected in multiple points. It feels a bit like taking a small island like Hawaii and saying everything to the east of it is a completely different ocean than everything west of it.

  12. Dunes of Mars by rossdee · · Score: 1

    "This would take a fleet of the last, bigger rovers with thumpers and sensors."

    Thumpers? You want to attract a sandworm?

    1. Re:Dunes of Mars by mrbester · · Score: 1

      Stop. He has the weirding way...

      --
      "Wait. Something's happening. It's opening up! My God, it's full of apricots!"
    2. Re:Dunes of Mars by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well no, but if I have to, I'd rather do it while I'm on earth and he's on Mars with my robot's thumber.

      This is not what I had in mind when I said we will likely learn something interesting even if we find no water.
      But it would definitely be interesting.

    3. Re:Dunes of Mars by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      TURN OFF THAT DAMN SHIELD!

    4. Re:Dunes of Mars by Maritz · · Score: 1

      It's to scare off antlions.

      --
      I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.
  13. The Hand of God by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Everyone knows God put Mars there to test our faith just like those dinosaur bones.

    1. Re:The Hand of God by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      God failed... to exist..

  14. Re:If there was water, there probably still is wat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Well in just one region, they found an underground patch the size of Texas and thirteen stories thick.

    http://mars.nasa.gov/msl/blogs...

  15. Yeah, that's cool and all, but... by Jawnn · · Score: 1

    ...did they surf, man?

    1. Re:Yeah, that's cool and all, but... by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 1

      Totally. It was way gnarly.

    2. Re:Yeah, that's cool and all, but... by youngone · · Score: 1

      I was wondering about that myself, (not that the Martians surfed) but how high the waves might get. First of all the gravity on Mars is about 38% that of Earth, Secondly, the sea in that totally convincing graphic looks like it goes around the whole planet, like the Southern Ocean on Earth, so would 100 metre waves be possible?

    3. Re:Yeah, that's cool and all, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And it was always a hassle with the tourists not waiting their turn in the lineup...

  16. Plural of data is data by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They also spelled "indicate" wrong in the title :-)

  17. Water or ice or ice-covered water by stevelinton · · Score: 1

    Have we any reason to think the water was actually ever liquid on Mars's surface to any great extent.
    The young sun would have been cooler than todays. Could the water not have been present as ice, or perhaps as an ocean covered by a thick layer of ice.

  18. Obligatory by Thyamine · · Score: 1

    Doctor Who reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T...

    --
    I will shred my adversaries. Pull their eyes out just enough to turn them towards their mewing, mutilated faces. Illyria