liquid water cannot exist on the surface of mars due to its low atmospheric pressure (there's not enough air to hold it in), except at the lowest elevations for short periods. the two polar ice caps appear to be made largely of frozen water. the amount of ice in the south polar ice cap, if melted, would be enough to cover the entire planet's surface 11 meters deep. a permafrost mantle stretches from the pole to latitudes of about 60°.