Liquid water lurks just below the surface of Mars on cold winter nights, according to new research.
The Mars Curiosity rover has found evidence that when temperatures drop on cold winter nights, trace amounts of water from the atmosphere can turn to frost, which can then be absorbed into the upper layers of the Martian soil and liquefied. The liquid water evaporates back into the atmosphere after sunrise, when temperatures start to go up again.
Turning water from a solid (frost) to a liquid requires the presence of a particular type of salt that scientists say could melt the frost, even in very cold temperatures (salt lowers the melting temperature of water, which is why it's put down on icy sidewalks and roads during winter). However, the authors of the new work say the small amounts of liquid salt water in the soil would not be enough to support microbial life. The extreme temperatures would also make the environment too extreme. Read more...
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from MashableSpace.com
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