Linking surface temperatures to past environments on Mars through remote sensing, modeling, and analog study

Koeppel, Ari H.D. (2023) Linking surface temperatures to past environments on Mars through remote sensing, modeling, and analog study. Doctoral thesis, Northern Arizona University.

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Abstract

Infrared imagers orbiting Mars have collected an astoundingly complete record of surface temperatures spanning over five decades. Because the physical nature of different rocks and sediment affect how quickly they can heat up or cool down, temperature measurements provide a valuable tool for studying geology in areas where ground measurements are limited or absent. Inferred sedimentary features can be used to help interpret past environmental processes, which for Mars inform us as to whether habitable conditions might have once existed at the surface. However, the task of directly quantifying how a given temperature response aligns with a sediment type, and thus past environmental setting, faces numerous challenges. Combinations of surface materials lead to nonunique thermal signals, and uncertainties associated with orbital remote sensing add to the difficulty. This dissertation is an effort to expand the limits of thermophysical interpretation of Martian sedimentary deposits. Progress is achieved through three distinct projects that incorporate remote sensing observations, thermophysical modeling, and experiments at Mars analog sites on Earth. The result is both a new approach to conducting thermophysical studies on Earth as well as new insights into the nature and formation of materials on the Martian surface. These advances build on decades of research into thermophysical processes and take an innovative step that opens the door to a new generation of investigations to come.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Publisher’s Statement:	© Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Cline Library, Northern Arizona University. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
Keywords:	Analog Experiments; Infrared; Mars; Sedimentary Geology; Spectroscopy; Thermal Inertia
Subjects:	Q Science > QB Astronomy
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Student
Department/Unit:	Graduate College > Theses and Dissertations College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences > Physics and Astronomy
Date Deposited:	05 May 2025 17:31
Last Modified:	05 May 2025 17:31
URI:	https://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/6144

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