A model for the evolution of CO2 on Mars

Abstract

Our MSATT work has focused on the evolution of CO2 on Mars. We have constructed a model that predicts the evolution of CO2 on Mars from a specified initial amount at the end of the heavy bombardment to the present. The model draws on published estimates of the main process believed to affect the fate of CO2 during this period: chemical weathering, regolith uptake, polar cap formation, and atmospheric escape. Except for escape, the rate at which these processes act is controlled by surface temperatures that we calculate using a modified version of the Gierasch and Toon energy balance model. Various aspects of this work are covered.