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DannyB [soylentnews.org] writes:

Water frost detected on Mars' volcanoes in 'significant' first discovery: Study [go.com]

Researchers say the frost patches equate to '60 Olympic-size swimming pools.'

[....] The thin yet widespread layers of water frost were discovered atop three of Mars' Tharsis volcanoes, located on a plateau at the planet's equator, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Geoscience. [nature.com]

The Tharsis volcanoes, a string of 12 large peaks, are the tallest volcanoes in our solar system, according to the study, which notes that the water frost was discovered on the volcanoes Olympus, Arsia Ascraeus Mons, and Ceraunius Tholus.

"The researchers calculate the frost constitutes at least 150,000 tons of water that swaps between the surface and atmosphere each day during the cold seasons," researchers from Brown University reported in a press release [brown.edu] Monday [...]

[....] "We thought it was improbable for frost to form around Mars' equator, as the mix of sunshine and thin atmosphere keeps temperatures during the day relatively high at both the surface and mountaintop — unlike what we see on Earth, where you might expect to see frosty peaks,"

[....] Researchers hypothesize the air circulating above the calderas creates a "unique microclimate that allows the thin patches of frost to form."

[.... rest omitted.... ]

No alcoholic beverages yet discovered on Mars.

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