PMID- 28167765
OWN - NLM
STAT- PubMed-not-MEDLINE
DCOM- 20180404
LR  - 20190111
IS  - 1091-6490 (Electronic)
IS  - 0027-8424 (Print)
IS  - 0027-8424 (Linking)
VI  - 114
IP  - 9
DP  - 2017 Feb 28
TI  - Low Hesperian P(CO2) constrained from in situ mineralogical analysis at Gale 
      Crater, Mars.
PG  - 2166-2170
LID - 10.1073/pnas.1616649114 [doi]
AB  - Carbon dioxide is an essential atmospheric component in martian climate models 
      that attempt to reconcile a faint young sun with planetwide evidence of liquid 
      water in the Noachian and Early Hesperian. In this study, we use mineral and 
      contextual sedimentary environmental data measured by the Mars Science Laboratory 
      (MSL) Rover Curiosity to estimate the atmospheric partial pressure of CO(2) 
      (P(CO2)) coinciding with a long-lived lake system in Gale Crater at  approximately 3.5 Ga. A 
      reaction-transport model that simulates mineralogy observed within the Sheepbed 
      member at Yellowknife Bay (YKB), by coupling mineral equilibria with carbonate 
      precipitation kinetics and rates of sedimentation, indicates atmospheric P(CO2) 
      levels in the 10s mbar range. At such low P(CO2) levels, existing climate models 
      are unable to warm Hesperian Mars anywhere near the freezing point of water, and 
      other gases are required to raise atmospheric pressure to prevent lake waters 
      from being lost to the atmosphere. Thus, either lacustrine features of Gale 
      formed in a cold environment by a mechanism yet to be determined, or the climate 
      models still lack an essential component that would serve to elevate surface 
      temperatures, at least locally, on Hesperian Mars. Our results also impose 
      restrictions on the potential role of atmospheric CO(2) in inferred warmer 
      conditions and valley network formation of the late Noachian.
FAU - Bristow, Thomas F
AU  - Bristow TF
AD  - Exobiology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035; 
      thomas.f.bristow@nasa.gov.
FAU - Haberle, Robert M
AU  - Haberle RM
AD  - Planetary Systems Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035.
FAU - Blake, David F
AU  - Blake DF
AD  - Exobiology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035.
FAU - Des Marais, David J
AU  - Des Marais DJ
AD  - Exobiology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035.
FAU - Eigenbrode, Jennifer L
AU  - Eigenbrode JL
AD  - Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, 
      MD 20771.
FAU - Fairen, Alberto G
AU  - Fairen AG
AD  - Department of Planetology and Habitability, Centro de Astrobiologia, Madrid 
      28850, Spain.
FAU - Grotzinger, John P
AU  - Grotzinger JP
AD  - Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of 
      Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125.
FAU - Stack, Kathryn M
AU  - Stack KM
AD  - Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 
      91109.
FAU - Mischna, Michael A
AU  - Mischna MA
AD  - Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 
      91109.
FAU - Rampe, Elizabeth B
AU  - Rampe EB
AD  - Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division, NASA Johnson Space 
      Center, Houston, TX 77058.
FAU - Siebach, Kirsten L
AU  - Siebach KL
AD  - Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of 
      Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125.
FAU - Sutter, Brad
AU  - Sutter B
AD  - Jacobs Technology, Inc., NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058.
FAU - Vaniman, David T
AU  - Vaniman DT
AD  - Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719.
FAU - Vasavada, Ashwin R
AU  - Vasavada AR
AD  - Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 
      91109.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PT  - Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
DEP - 20170206
PL  - United States
TA  - Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
JT  - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
JID - 7505876
PMC - PMC5338541
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - Gale Crater
OT  - Hesperian Mars
OT  - Mars Science Laboratory
OT  - carbon dioxide
OT  - martian atmosphere
COIS- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
EDAT- 2017/02/09 06:00
MHDA- 2017/02/09 06:01
PMCR- 2017/02/06
CRDT- 2017/02/08 06:00
PHST- 2017/02/09 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2017/02/09 06:01 [medline]
PHST- 2017/02/08 06:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2017/02/06 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - 1616649114 [pii]
AID - 201616649 [pii]
AID - 10.1073/pnas.1616649114 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 Feb 28;114(9):2166-2170. doi: 
      10.1073/pnas.1616649114. Epub 2017 Feb 6.