Mrs.%Larsen’s%class%final%report% Group%A% …marsed.asu.edu/sites/default/files/msip_reports/Polar Spots and Seasons.pdfV31328004 986.780014 248.3002 186.30684 29 No NO V31720009

Mrs. Larsen’s class final report

Group A

When do polar spots appear on the south pole of Mars?

Introduction

• Science Question-‐ Are Polar Spots present on the Southern Polar Ice Cap of Mars during all the seasons?

• Why is this question important and interesting? The polar spots look different than anything we have seen on earth. Answering this question might help the scientists find out if there is water below the surface of Mars. It will also help us find out about the seasonal changes on Mars.

Hypotheses

• If polar spots are present on Mars in the spring then the ice on Mars must be sublimating.

• If polar spots are present on Mars in the summer then the ice must still be sublimating.

• If we find polar spots on Mars in the fall before the ice is thick then the ice on Mars must never fully sublimate and the polar spots would occur year round.

• The polar spots on the southern polar ice cap must be a sigh that the ice is sublimating and the spots are dirt and that is uncovered as the ice sublimates.

Background

Definitions

• Sublimation-‐sublimation means to turn from a solid state into a gas state. • Polar Ice caps-‐Any of the bright areas covering the poles of Mars. They are

believed to be composed of frozen carbon dioxide and water ice. • Carbon dioxide-‐is made up of on carbon atom combined with two oxygen

atoms. • Polar spots-‐are spots that appear on the carbon dioxide ice on Mars. • Definitions were found on Ask.com and dictionaries.com

Polar caps on Earth and Mars

• Earth’s Polar ice caps are mainly water ice, while the ice caps on Mars are a mixture of solid phase carbon dioxide and water ice. Source :http://en.wiki/polaricecap

• Earth has no naturally frozen carbon dioxide they do have manufactured carbon dioxide called dry ice. Source: ask.com

• If you hold water ice (like is found on earth) in your hands it melts. You cannot hold carbon dioxide ice (like is found on Mars) in your hand because it is too cold.

• Mars ice does not melt it sublimates-‐ it look like smoke, Earth ice melt and become water.

This shows polar spots on Mars.

This area does not have polar spots.

This is our THEMIS image taken near the south pole of Mars. It was taken in the summer and does not have polar spots.

This is how scientists think Polar spots are formed.

The last two are drawings by students showing how polar spots are formed.

How scientists think polar spots are formed:

Scientists think that the polar spots are formed in the spring as CO2 gas erupts through the ice caps topmost layers. The jets climb high into the thin cold air carrying fine, dark sand and spraying it for hundreds of feet. This shapes features on the ice caps at the Martian south pole and the dark spots are typically fifty to one hundred fifty feet wide. As the sun rises over the ice caps the polar spots last for three or four months and then vanish ,and then appear the next year after winter cold has deposited a fresh layer of ice on the caps . Most of the spots even seem to occur at the same location. Source: themis.asu.edu

Information we will collect:

• We will collect THEMIS images of the south polar ice cap and examine those images for signs of polar spots (black dots).

• We will collect about 75 images all taken around the south pole of Mars.

• We will record our information on a table. • We will record the following information: • image ID number • latitude • Longitude • Mars year • solar longitude • Polar spots-‐ does the image have them or not

• We will examine the solar longitude to determine during which season we find polar spots.

• We will use line graphs to show the Mars year and the solar longitude to see the correlation between the seasons and the polar spots.

• We will use THEMIS images from the spacecraft Odyssey.

Image ID Latitude Longitude Solar Longitude

Mars Year Polar Spots Polar spot

V40448004 -‐86.077675 209.42764 224.75024 30 no no

v4030715 -‐86.9323 1352.4964 217.54938 30 no no

v39948009 -‐87.03114 275.27045 199.63089 30 no no

v39933004 -‐86.906395 353.1746 198.8.4723 30 no no

V39861009 -‐83.36418 327.36703 195.3935 30 no NO

V39856008 -‐85.30985 98.27454 195.3935 30 yes YES

V39796007 -‐86.80443 354.877747 192.25839 30 no NO

V39707016 -‐86.82284 43.86493 188.00706 30 no NO

V399480009 -‐87.03114 275.27045 199.63089 30 no NO

V39933004 -‐86.906395 353.1746 198.89723 30 no NO

Image ID latitude longitude Solar longitude

Mars year

Polar spots Polar Spots

V40660004 -‐86.4502 287.016 235.70364 30 No n

V40611004 -‐81.51703 296.9251 233.16028 30 no YES

V40597004 -‐86.21892 309.1372 232.4356 30 no NO

V40448004 -‐86.077675 290.42764 224.75024 30 no NO

V40307015 -‐86.93231 352.4964 217.54938 30 no NO

v40282012 -‐86.69928 20.208757 216.28091 30 Yes NO

v40059006 -‐66.38164 36.051464 205.04605 30 no YES

v39948009 -‐87.03114 275.27045 199.63089 30 no NO

v39933004 -‐86.906395 353.17346 198.89723 30 no NO

Image ID Latitude Longitude Solar longitude

Mars year Polar Spots Polar spots

V0662010 -‐84.19614 242.35292 204.94772 26 No NO

V06342005 -‐73.48733 351.36884 188.42639 26 Yes YES

V07102007 -‐66.70191 37.523415 226.18951 26 Yes Image ID

V06403009 -‐66.50773 36.009308 191.3804 26 No YES

V06317004 -‐70.659096 354.20792 187.23707 26 Yes NO

V06385016 -‐66.48275 195.23335 190.9458 26 Yes YES

V06403009 -‐6650773 36.009308 191.33804 26 Yes YES

Image ID Latitude Longitude Solar Longitude Mars year Polar Spots POLAR SPOTS

V15937002 -‐79.62218 56.66733 251.69058 27 No NO

V15912006 -‐80.22173 56.674248 250.38393 27 No NO

V16406005 -‐80.46107 57.9972 280.175 27 No NO

V16486005 -‐80.46107 57.9972 280.175 27 Yes YES

V16484012 -‐77.7281 326.5773 280.07562 27 No NO

V13121004 -‐84.18689 322.02686 121.486435 27 No NO

V18047008 -‐66.79023 40.483795 353.2376 27 No NO

V17158001 -‐5.84154 137.095 313.4356 27 No NO

V13263006 80.47931 172.20998 127.018906 27 No NO

V11016008 -‐68.37505 180.01985 44.41966 27 No NO

V12295001 -‐86.54584 57.985657 90.63869 27 No NO

V32372005 -‐86.864426 354.56575 238.59113 27 No NO

V12081004 -‐80.56702 70.082115 82.890335 27 No NO

V13013004 -‐80.85561 184.64018 117.33366 27 No NO

Image ID Latitude Longitude Solar longitude Mars year Polar Spots Polar spots

V4199003 -‐85.15882 67.14008 303.92474 28 No NO V2173004 -‐81.7594 321.59003 131.77961 28 No NO V24308010 -‐84.15694 5.25772 253.13115 28 No NO V39631007 -‐86.18528 97.52655 13.491111 28 No NO V40059006 -‐66.38164 36.051464 16.022778 28 No NO

V24308010 -‐84.15674 5.252772 7.5325 28 No NO V2317007 -‐84.34491 190.97867 195.15604 28 No NO V24265008 -‐80.06508 248.71814 250.88219 28 Yes YES

V23170007 -‐84.34491 190.97867 195.15604 28 Yes YES V23290003 -‐76.49197 349.78326 201.00699 28 Yes YES V2458006 -‐86.843155 354.04486 265.6451 28 No NO V22926008 -‐86.556465 305.5141 183.52753 28 No NO V23116009 -‐82.40468 318.4842 192.55025 28 Yes YES V23170007 -‐84.34491 190.97687 195.15604 28 No NO

Image ID Latitude Longitude Solar longitude

Mars year Polar Spots

Polar spots

V23016006 -‐84.50032 313.31315 187.7729 28 No NO

V23114007 -‐66.60506 33.287926 142.45142 28 No NO

V23326008 -‐64.254745 38.43544 202.77707 28 No NO

V21130800 -‐84.15694 5.252972 253.13115 28 No NO

V2458006 -‐86.843155 354.04486 265.6451 28 Yes YES

V24308010 -‐84.15694 5.252472 253.13115 28 Yes YES

Image ID Latitude Longitude Solar Longitude Mars year Polar Spots

Polar spots

V317200009 -‐86.587036 99.068735 14.538851 29 No NO

V3226S3007 -‐81.72064 296.83356 232.92708 29 Yes YES

V31720009 -‐86.587036 99.0657 205.31168 29 No NO

V33290007 -‐85.85447 102.81378 286.1866 29 No NO

V31328004 -‐86.780014 248.3002 186.30684 29 No NO

V31720009 -‐86.587036 99.065735 205.31168 29 Yes YES

V32812004 -‐81.31981 294.33264 261.56427 29 Yes YES

V34390005 -‐82.45945 88.02304 338.46976 29 No NO

V33290007 -‐85.85447 102.81378 286.1866 29 No NO

V3138004 -‐86.780014 248.3002 186.30684 29 Yes YES

V32269001 -‐73.746506 132.99725 233.2364 29 No NO

V34390005 -‐82.459095 88.02304 338.76976 29 No NO

V29192010 -‐28.156252 359.60464 98.33214 29 No NO

V29454013 -‐28.183756 0.769639 108.03837 29 No NO

What the data tables show :

� We used the data tables to show us which seasons the polar spots are in and if we are looking in the right place.

� The way we found the seasons is with solar longitude. � Solar Longitude for Spring is 180-‐269 � Solar Longitude for Summer is 270-‐360 � Solar Longitude for Fall is 0-‐89 � Solar Longitude for Winter is 90-‐179

Mola Map

� We used the MOLA map to make sure our images were near the South pole. We entered the latitude and longitude and that showed us a black spot on the map. Then it was easy to delete any images that were not near the south pole.

-‐90

-‐60

-‐30

0

30

60

90

0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300 330 360

Lati

tud

e (

N)

Longitude (E)

MOLA Map Plots

`

Graph

� We used the graph to easily show us which seasons had polar spots and which did not. This graphic made it easier to draw our conclusion.

� Also the graph allowed us to see how many images we found for each year, and each season.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30 29 28 27 26

fall with spots

fall without spots

winter with spots

winter without spots

spring with spots

spring without spots

summer with spots

summer without spots

Errors we made during our research

� We did not write down whether our first images had polar spots or not. So when we began putting our data together we had to go back and find images again to check for polar spots.

� Some of our images were not near the south pole because we did not search for specific latitude and longitude when we started.

� Some students collected the same image numbers and we did not notice it so they were in the table twice.

� Some students did not write down all the image information correctly and someone had to recheck their images.

Conclusion

� Are polar spots present on the Southern polar ice cap of Mars during all the seasons?

� Our data shows that polar spots are only present on the southern ice cap of Mars in the spring and early summer.

� We did not find any polar spots in the fall or in the winter. We have very few winter images taken near the south pole of Mars because it is too dark for the THEMIS camera to get good images. References

� We used the following online references: � www.Dictionaries.com � www.ask.com � http://en.wikipedia.com � www.themis.asu.edu � www.marsed.mars.asu.edu � www.marsed.mars.asu.edu/redplanetreport � www.jmars.asu.edu

Acknowledgements

� We would like to acknowledge and thank the following people for their help in our research.

� Jessica Swann � Dr. C with his online help “Ask Dr. C” � Our science teacher-‐ Mrs. Larsen � Our classmates for all their hard work.

Documents

Mrs.%Larsen’s%class%final%report% Group%A% …marsed.asu.edu/sites/default/files/msip_reports/Polar Spots and Seasons.pdfV31328004 986.780014 248.3002 186.30684 29 No NO V31720009