Planetary Science

The fourth planet in our Solar System, Mars orbits at approximately 228 million km from the Sun and has a radius of 3390 km. It has a thin atmosphere, 95% of which is carbon dioxide, and an average surface temperature of 200 K; many view it as a colder, drier and dustier version of Earth.

Mars has many interesting surface features, such as huge volcanoes, large outflow channels, valley networks with high order tributaries, wind blown dunes, and polar ice caps with a perplexing spiral morphology. It is thought that at some point in the remote past (but possibly in geologically more recent times) Mars had water present at the surface, possibly even an ocean. Understanding the physical processes which form such features gives an insight into what Mars may have been like in the past, and what Earth may be like in the future.

People working in this area within OCIAM are

• Dr Andrew Fowler