Milankovic on Mars
Date: 4 Feb 2013 - 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Venue: Martin Wood Complex, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU
Room: Martin Wood Lecture Theatre
Audience: General public (Age 14+)
The surface and atmosphere of Mars continue to be the target for intensive exploration by robotic spacecraft such as NASA's Curiosity Rover and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the results are being modeled in increasing detail using sophisticated numerical models, much like the ones used to predict climate variability on Earth - with Oxford playing an important role in both kinds of activity. It now seems clear that, as on Earth, the Martian climate is very dynamic and continually changing and evolving, at least partly in response to cyclic changes in the planet's orbit and rotation on millennial to million year timescales. This is much like the orbital cycles on Earth that control the onset of ice ages, discovered by Milutin Milankovic in the early 20th century. In this talk we will explore the evidence for geologically recent and fairly extreme climate changes on Mars, examining the implications for where water (thought to be essential for any prospect of life) resides in the Martian environment, both now and in Mars' past and future.
Mini bio
Peter Read is a Professor in the Department of Physics, and Fellow and Tutor in Physics at Trinity College, University of Oxford, UK. In the Department he is currently Head of Atmospheric, Oceanic & Planetary Physics, which is one of the six sub-Departments within Oxford Physics.
