Explaining the Mid-Latitude Ice Deposits with a General Circulation Model

Abstract

We have examined the influence of a regolith on the water cycle with a focus on high obliquity periods on Mars. Our findings show that while the regolith will almost certainly interact with the atmosphere initially, it is only a transient effect, and ice will form on the surface once the regolith is effectively isolated from the atmosphere. These low latitude deposits could conceivably be ice deposits formed at high obliquity and are certainly presently out of thermal equilibrium, but remain due to the insulating effect of a dust lag.