Warming Early Mars with Carbon Dioxide Clouds That Scatter Infrared Radiation
Abstract
Geomorphic evidence that Mars was warm enough to support flowing water about 3.8 billion years ago presents a continuing enigma that cannot be explained by conventional greenhouse warming mechanisms. Model calculations show that the surface of early Mars could have been warmed through a scattering variant of the greenhouse effect, resulting from the ability of the carbon dioxide ice clouds to reflect the outgoing thermal radiation back to the surface. This process could also explain how Earth avoided an early irreversible glaciation and could extend the size of the habitable zone on extrasolar planets around stars.
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For infrared scattering by CO2 clouds to be effective for significant long-term greenhouse warming, cloud coverage close to 100% is required.
“However, to be effective this warming mechanism requires cloud coverage close to 100%.”
From The Climate of Early Mars (2016) · cites this paper as Forget & Pierrehumbert 1997
Cites
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- Authors
- Forget, F., & Pierrehumbert, R. T.
- Affiliations
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 1997-11-14
- Volume
- 278
- Issue
- 5341
- Pages
- 1273-1276
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2048043734
- Cited by
- 475
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 19 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 19 · 2014: 22 · 2013: 32 · 2012: 30
- FWCI
- 10.43
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Planetary Science and Exploration
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Astro and Planetary Science
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Keywords
- early Mars, greenhouse effect, global warming, Mars geology, flowing water, habitable zone, exoplanets
- MeSH terms
- Atmosphere, Carbon Dioxide, Extraterrestrial Environment, Ice, Infrared Rays, Scattering, Radiation, Temperature, Water, Greenhouse Effect, Mars
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