Ice at the Southern Pole

This article discusses new measurements taken at the Southern Polar region on Mars that indicate the presence of extensive frozen water. Mapping the thickness of the ice, NASA and the Italian Space Agency claim that enough frozen water resides in the polar region to cover the whole planet in a liquid layer 36 feet deep! The ice in some areas is as deep as 2.3 miles below the surface. The measurements were taken with the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS), which provides more accurate data than has been available in the past. The amount of detail and information provided by MARSIS allow scientists to better understand the surface and subsurface composition of Mars.
The vast majority of known water on modern Mars is located at the poles, though the planet appears to have been shaped by water and wet conditions in times past. This new radar will help us better understand the cycle of water on Mars, and ultimately aid the search for life on Mars.