Climate engineering of Planet Mars
This study analyses potential Martian Climate Engineering concepts to increase the habitability of the red planet. In order to increase the habitability of Mars several modifications should be applied to the Martian environment. For instance the global surface temperatures should be increased by about 60 K and the mass of the atmosphere should also be increased. Among several methods that can achieve such a change, warming Mars with artificial greenhouse gases is considered one of the most feasible approaches.
Project Overview
In this project, the effect of releasing artificial greenhouse gases in the atmosphere of Mars is studied using Global Climate Models. These models are generally used to remotely study the Martian atmosphere for the preparation of future Mars missions but can be adapted to assess climate engineering concepts. Current annual surface temperatures obtained by such models are shown below.
References
- Dicaire, I., Forget, F., Millhour, E., Maan, D.C., Nachon, M., and Summerer, L., Using Martian Climate Models to assess the Potential of Artificial Greenhouse Gases to increase Martian Surface Temperatures, Proceedings 64th International Astronautical Congress, IAC13, Beijing, China (2013). (link)