If you've seen the images from NASA's Mars Curiosity Rover, you'd be in awe of the amazing vistas of the planet Mars. But such awesome sights of Mars have a much darker history than you think. The Martian surface that looks so cool in photos is actually what's left behind by the effects of global warming to the planet. With our own planet experiencing global warming, will Earth be following in Mars' doomed footsteps?
According to scientists, the various valleys and deep canyons found on Mars are formed after the planet experienced cycles of an ice age and global warming for ten million years. If this hypothesis regarding the cycling climate of Mars is true, this will prove the theory regarding Mars' water-carved features.
Previous studies claim that the surface of Mars was formed due to the planet warming caused by numerous asteroid impacts. These events led to the water of Mars evaporating thus leading to rain. But this theory regarding the formation of the Martian surfaces is not enough to proof of the water-carved features of the Red Planet.
Based on the new study, the valleys and deep canyons of Mars were formed due to the cycling climate of the planet. The cycling climate of Mars means that the planet experienced long periods of warming. Scientists are hypothesizing that as Mars is far from the Sun, the planet once experienced a much colder planet temperature.
In the early days of the Red Planet, carbon is released from the soil through rain and chemical weathering. But as the planet was experiencing lower global temperatures, the water cycle in Mars stops. Furthermore, the different volcanic activities in the planet emit more carbon that cannot be processed back to the Martian soil. As the greenhouse gasses emitted from the volcanic eruptions and released from the soil, the accumulation of carbon lead to sped up Mars' global warming.
The global warming in Mars then leads to its cycling climate. Long periods of warmth will be experienced in a different region in Mars whereas other regions will be in a state of extreme cold. This will then change with the then warm areas experiencing cold weather and the then cold areas experiencing warmth. Obviously, the change in temperature melts the frozen water thus carving out the valleys and canyons in Mars.
With a recent study claiming that a rise of one degree Celsius in global temperature will lead to a massive release of soil carbon, is Earth following the doomed footsteps of Mars? It seems likely as scientists are expecting a two-degree Celsius rise in global temperature by mid-century.
This massive release of soil carbon will then lead to the speeding up of global warming on Earth. Warmer global temperatures will then lead to the melting of ice on the colder regions of our planet causing a rise in sea levels. Global warming will then drastically change more the already unpredictable climate of Earth.
