Mars Cloud Forms via Homogeneous Nucleation, Study Finds
A new study in Nature Geoscience models the Arsia Mons Elongated Cloud and reports the first evidence of homogeneous nucleation in a planetary atmosphere.
A team of planetary scientists published a study on Wednesday in Nature Geoscience showing that homogeneous nucleation can explain the formation of the Arsia Mons Elongated Cloud (AMEC) on Mars. The research was led by Jorge Hernández-Bernal of Sorbonne Université.
The simulations reproduced the AMEC's observed characteristics, including its formation at Sunrise and growth up to 1,800 kilometers in three hours. The researchers report this as the first evidence of homogeneous nucleation of Water vapor in a planetary atmosphere.
The finding challenges current assumptions about Cloud formation processes on Earth and potentially other planets.
Background
In 2018, the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter first spotted the Arsia Mons Elongated Cloud. Previous research showed that homogeneous nucleation on Mars would require atmospheric saturation levels about 100,000 times greater than those needed for ice to form under normal conditions.
Quick answers
What is the Arsia Mons Elongated Cloud?
It is a cloud on Mars that was first spotted by the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter in 2018.
What did the new study find?
The study, published in Nature Geoscience, reports the first evidence of homogeneous nucleation of water vapor in a planetary atmosphere, explaining the AMEC's formation.
Who led the research?
The research was led by Jorge Hernández-Bernal of Sorbonne Université.