Glittering Mars: Scientists Urge to Use Heat-Trapping Particles for Warming the Red Planet
A glittery new take on the old idea of terraforming Mars involves warming up the planet. Researchers are now touting a far-out concept—one that dwells somewhere between science fiction and actual science—to raise the temperature of the surface on Mars by about 50 degrees Fahrenheit over a decade, meaning that it could possibly set a stage for future human exploration and settlement.
A New Approach to Terraforming
The concept of terraforming—a process that involves making environmental changes in the planet to make it more Earth-like—has been engrossing both professionals and hobbyists alike. Traditional climate change concepts to heat Mars up have relied on releasing greenhouse gases to thicken the atmosphere and trap more heat. Such methods require resources that are somewhat scarce on the Martian surface.
Now, a team of scientists led by University of Chicago planetary scientist Edwin Kite is proposing a different idea: releasing geoengineered nanoparticles into the Martian atmosphere. These small particles would be composed of iron or aluminum or another metal, and appear glittery. They would act as aerosols, capturing escaping heat and reflecting sunlight back down onto the Martian surface to further trap that heat.
“The key points of our paper are a new suggestion for the use of engineered nanoparticles to heat up the Martian atmosphere, and climatological modeling which indicates that this might be far more effective than ideas that had earlier been propounded, Kite explained. This may turn out to be one of the most practical ways of warming Mars up and could provide elements of reflection in future exploration strategies.
Difficulties of a Cold, Cruel World
Mars is a troubled planet: no breathable oxygen, hazardous radiation, salty soil that’s toxic to many crops, and temperatures that average minus-85 degrees Fahrenheit—that is, minus-65 degrees Celsius.
Warming the planet, even by as modest as 50 degrees Fahrenheit, might enable liquid water to flow on the Martian surface—a critical step toward making the planet habitable. Currently, Mars hosts water in the form of ice at its poles and within its subsurface. Scientists say this can be done by continuously pumping into the atmosphere nanorods—very small, rod-shaped particles—at a rate of approximately eight gallons per second for several years.
The Practical and Ethical Considerations
One advantage is that the nanoparticles will probably be producible right on Mars using the planet’s abundant iron and aluminum. “The idea is to either ship the material or, better yet, ship the manufacturing tool and make the nanorods on the planet,” said Samaneh Ansari, lead author of the study and a doctoral student at Northwestern University.
The researchers, however, confess that their proposal carries uncertainties and potential dangers. While warming Mars may end up being good for future human missions, there will also be unintended effects to consider. For example, if the problem with Mars is toxic compounds in the soil that harm Earth-derived life, then these positive effects of warming the planet would likely be negated.
“Although nanoparticles could warm Mars, both the benefits and potential costs of this course of action are currently uncertain,” Kite said. There is also the question if Mars has, or had, its own life forms—possibly in the form of subsurface microbes—which could be disrupted by such terraforming efforts.
Looking Ahead
NASA’s continued missions to Mars include robot rovers and a deployed lander called InSight that collect fundamental data about the planet’s environment. On the other hand, the Artemis program’s aim at sending the next humans to the lunar surface for potential missions to Mars signifies interest in our planetary neighbor that is only growing.