STUDY OF TERRESTRIAL AND MARTIAN SNOWPACKS: CORRELATION OF AMBIENT ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS, LIQUID WATER MELT, AND BIOLOGIC ACTIVITY

Potential snowpack deposits have been identified in association with the gully features on Mars. In this work we aim to determine a) whether or not such deposits could melt and generate liquid water on Mars and b) whether or not these deposits could be capable of supporting life. To address these questions we are studying snowpack deposits in a Mars analog environment at Lassen National Park. The Lassen snowpacks cycle through yearly stages of accumulation and melt and are sites of snow algae activity. Snow algae on Earth are known to live dormant within the cold polar regions of Earth and become active only during the transient melt season when liquid water is generated from dissipating snowpacks (Hoham 1975, Hoham et al. 1983). The critical factor in the survival of snow algae is a period of time when the snowpack contains liquid water. On Earth this generally occurs in high alpine regions in late spring and summer. At Lassen National Park, the snow algae are preferentially found in locations where the snowpack is large enough to survive long into the summer. On Mars our calculations can indicate if liquid water forms in the snowpack. Our research characterizes this potential habitable abode and thereby assesses the potential for favorable environmental conditions which could allow lifeforms to exist in the near-surface environment of Mars. Here we provide a quantitative assessment of the physical conditions within a terrestrial snowpack in an alpine environment from in situ data. An analysis of this data presents an improved understanding of the physical processes driving the seasonal cycles of accumulation and melt. Numerical modeling helps predict the physical conditions within the snowpack, snowpack stability under various environmental conditions, as well as the timing and magnitude of melt events. We will have utilized this numerical model in conjunction with spacecraft data to model the behavior of snow and ice deposits associated with the gully features on Mars. Our improved understanding of the physics of snowpack behavior and the interplay of ambient environmental conditions allows us to assess the potential habitability of snow and ice deposits on both Earth and Mars to improve our understanding of the biologic potential in such locales.