Can rapid loss and high variability of Martian methane be explained by surface H2O2?

It has been reported by several groups that methane in the Martian atmosphere is both spatially and temporally variable. suggested that temperature dependent, reversible physical adsorption of methane onto Martian soils could explain this variability. However, it is also useful to consider if there...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Planetary and space science 2011-02, Vol.59 (2-3), p.238-246
Main Authors: Gough, R.V., Turley, J.J., Ferrell, G.R., Cordova, K.E., Wood, S.E., DeHaan, D.O., McKay, C.P., Toon, O.B., Tolbert, M.A.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:It has been reported by several groups that methane in the Martian atmosphere is both spatially and temporally variable. suggested that temperature dependent, reversible physical adsorption of methane onto Martian soils could explain this variability. However, it is also useful to consider if there might be chemical destruction of methane (and compensating sources) operating on seasonal time scales. The lifetime of Martian methane due to known chemical loss processes is long (on the order of hundreds of years). However, observations constrain the lifetime to be 4 years or less, and general circulation models suggest methane destruction must occur even faster (
ISSN:0032-0633
DOI:10.1016/j.pss.2010.09.018