Nov. 16, 2012 Near surface water has shaped the landscape of
Mars. Areas of the planet's northern and southern hemispheres
have alternately thawed and frozen in recent geologic history
and comprise striking similarities to the landscape of Svalbard.
This suggests that water has played a more extensive role than
previously envisioned, and that environments capable of
sustaining life could exist, according to new research from the
University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Mars is a changing planet, and
in recent geological time repeated freeze and thaw cycles has
played a greater role than expected in terms of shaping the
landscape. In an attempt to be able to make more reliable
interpretations of the landscapes on Mars, researchers have
developed new models for analysing images from the planet. The
process of analysing satellite images from Mars has been
combined with similar studies of an arctic environment in
Svalbard. Despite the fact that Svalbard is considerably warmer
than Mars, the arctic landscape shows a numb