This post should probably stand, for an indefinite while, as a monument to the on-hiatus-ness of this blog. I have a new job, Chief News and Features Editor at Nature, which leaves just as little time for blogging as working on the book did previously.
But rather than just announce the hiatus, here are some little scraps; MRO is in orbit (hurrah). The NASA program is currently without long term goals (boo). And Google has gone to Mars.
My thanks to everyone who came to see the talk I gave in Tucson last week, by the way (and apologies to anyone who might have come had I mentioned it here, or directly to them), and particular thanks to Richard Poss for arranging things and hosting me and generally being so kind.
Congratulations on the new job, Oliver!
Posted by: Alex Blackwell | March 14, 2006 at 09:53 PM
Congratulations on the job, and very best wishes for much good and little bad. :)
Posted by: Bruce Baugh | March 16, 2006 at 05:37 AM
Oliver, congratulations on the new job.
Posted by: Fred Guterl | March 24, 2006 at 08:40 PM
Hello Oliver,
I know you are busy, but I am interested in your opinion about this. Maybe when you have a spare moment, you could reply with your wisdom:
Some Mars atmospheric scientists are also arguing there is current seasonal atmospheric deposition of water/ice on Mars, including at near equatorial latitudes:
37th DPS Meeting, 4-9 September 2005
Session 24 Mars III
Oral, Tuesday, September 6, 2005, 2:00-3:50pm, Music Concert Hall
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[24.09] New evidence for recent climate control as the source of the equatorial water equivalent hydrogen regions on Mars.
S.M. Nelli, J.R. Murphy (NMSU), W.C. Feldman (LANL)
The origin of the longitudinally confined equatorial water equivalent hydrogen (WEH) regions on Mars is disputed. Current arguments for their existence are: 1) recent ice age, 2) near-surface water table, 3) recent sublimation of the CO2 veneer of the south residual polar cap, and 4) in equilibrium with the current atmospheric conditions on Mars. The NASA Ames GCM is used to explore current Martian climate conditions as the source for the equatorial WEH-rich regions on Mars. There is a correlation between the simulated total annual deposition (but not accumulated) pattern of water ice and the equatorial WEH-rich regions on Mars. Model results indicate that local nighttime thermodynamics and thermal inertia/topography create bulk water ice precipitation regions over Arabia and Tharsis. Nighttime air in contact with the ground cools via radiation and conduction, precipitating water ice at locations where the local near-surface atmospheric temperature falls below the dew point. The highest topographic longitudes, coincident with the lowest surface thermal inertias, beget the lowest temperatures, resulting in a longitudinal wave two pattern of water ice deposition upon Arabia and Tharsis. These current longitudinally confined "wet" conditions provide water vapor that is readily available for adsorption by hydratable minerals during the night.
Support for this project comes from NASA Planetary Atmospheres Programs (NAG5-12123) and by the DOE through Laboratory Directed Research and Development funds.
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http://www.aas.org/publications/baas/v37n3/dps2005/766.htm
Your response and opinion would be most appreciated. No pressure!
;)
Posted by: lance | March 26, 2006 at 05:03 PM
I'm flattered, Lance, but have little specific insight. Sounds intriguing on first pass, though. I'll keep my ears open and post if I hear anything.
Posted by: Oliver | March 29, 2006 at 05:05 PM