Spatio‐Temporal Level Variations of the Martian Seasonal South Polar Cap From Co‐Registration of MOLA Profiles
Haifeng Xiao, Alexander Stark, Frédéric Schmidt, Jingyan Hao, Shu Su, Gregor Steinbrügge, Jürgen Oberst
Abstract
Abstract The seasonal deposition and sublimation of CO 2 represents a major element in the Martian volatile cycle. Here, co‐registration strategies are applied to Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter profiles to obtain spatio‐temporal variations in snow/ice level of the Seasonal South Polar Cap (SSPC), in grid elements of 0.5° in latitude from 60° to 87°S and 10° in longitude. The maximum snow/ice level in the range of 2–2.5 m is observed over the Residual South Polar Cap. Peak level at the Residual South Polar Cap in Martian Year 25 (MY25) are found to be typically ∼0.5 m higher than those in MY24. The total volume is estimated to peak at approximately 9.4 × 10 12 m 3 . In addition, a map of average bulk density of the SSPC during its recession is derived. It implies much more snowfall‐like precipitation at the Residual South Polar Cap and its surroundings than elsewhere on Mars.