Its interesting that the abstract of the paper of the research cited in the article, seems somewhat at odds with the journo spin of:
Quote:
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it seems that there are seasonal streams of liquid water that wind across the red planet's surface.
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From the research paper extract:
Quote:
Water probably flowed across ancient Mars, but whether it ever exists as a liquid on the surface today remains debatable. Recurring slope lineae (RSL) are narrow (0.5 to 5 meters), relatively dark markings on steep (25° to 40°) slopes; repeat images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment show them to appear and incrementally grow during warm seasons and fade in cold seasons.
They extend downslope from bedrock outcrops, often associated with small channels, and hundreds of them form in some rare locations. RSL appear and lengthen in the late southern spring and summer from 48°S to 32°S latitudes favoring equator-facing slopes, which are times and places with peak surface temperatures from ~250 to 300 kelvin. Liquid brines near the surface might explain this activity, but the exact mechanism and source of water are not understood.
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The HiRise website also quotes the same above abstract.
Spectrographic confirmation would establish the evidence more firmly.
There is firm evidence of trace amounts of solid water on Mars, but to date I don't believe direct confirmation of
liquid water has been obtained.
If they've found this evidence then that's a terrific discovery. The problem is that if exists in a liquid state, it probably doesn't hang around long enough in that form to obtain the exact culprit in action.
Much has been written about this, but there are many other plausible alternatives for the gullies on Mars including fluidisation of dry material (water ice and solid CO2).
Cheers
