University of Washington study finds Mars north pole ice is purer than expected

Researchers from the University of Washington have discovered that the water ice at Mars' north pole is significantly purer than previously estimated. A new analysis published in Space Exploration indicates that dust content in the exposed ice is less than 3%, a sharp contrast to previous studies that estimated dust levels as high as 25%.

Lead researcher Aditya Khuller and Pari Mohan of the University of Edinburgh achieved these findings by applying a physically based model originally designed for studying terrestrial snow and ice. By re-evaluating data from NASA’s Phoenix lander and various orbital spectrometers, including the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Express, the team identified a complex, layered structure.

The researchers described the polar cap as being stacked ‘like an ice-cream sandwich,’ with cleaner ice slabs alternating with dustier layers. This dust distribution is influenced by seasonal changes; for instance, a dustier layer of frost tends to form over the ice during the Martian winter.