Tosca, N. J. and Knoll, A. H. and McLennan, S. M. (2008) Water activity and the challenge for life on early mars. Science, 320 (5880). pp. 1204-1207. DOI https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1155432
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Abstract
In situ and orbital exploration of the martian surface has shown that acidic, saline liquid water was intermittently available on ancient Mars. The habitability of these waters depends critically on water activity (a H2O), a thermodynamic measure of salinity, which, for terrestrial organisms, has sharply defined limits. Using constraints on fluid chemistry and saline mineralogy based on martian data, we calculated the maximum a H2O for Meridiani Planum and other environments where salts precipitated from martian brines. Our calculations indicate that the salinity of well-documented surface waters often exceeded levels tolerated by known terrestrial organisms.
Item Type: | Article |
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Subjects: | 01 - Climate Change and Earth-Ocean Atmosphere Systems |
Divisions: | 01 - Climate Change and Earth-Ocean Atmosphere Systems |
Journal or Publication Title: | Science |
Volume: | 320 |
Page Range: | pp. 1204-1207 |
Identification Number: | https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1155432 |
Depositing User: | Sarah Humbert |
Date Deposited: | 17 Dec 2009 12:11 |
Last Modified: | 23 Jul 2013 09:56 |
URI: | http://eprints.esc.cam.ac.uk/id/eprint/1248 |
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