A question here, behaviour of water on Mars |
A question here, behaviour of water on Mars |
May 24 2007, 12:38 AM
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#1
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 58 Joined: 17-September 06 Member No.: 1150 |
A question here
There are signs that in the past there was liquid water on Mars. So lets assume thats true. Since the gravity on Mars is much lower than on Earth, so how does water (waves) behave on Mars compared to Earth? Someone did say, that waves would have been much higher but also much slower. Is this true? Does anyone have an animation where you can see a waive on Earth in comparsion to a wave on Mars? Thanks |
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May 25 2007, 07:50 AM
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#2
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3419 Joined: 9-February 04 From: Minneapolis, MN, USA Member No.: 15 |
Actually, liquid water on Mars would behave consistently at nearly any atmospheric pressure we can imagine at which water can exist as a liquid. At least, at pretty much any point in a range from 10mb to 1b. The effect of winds would be different, but the speed at which water rises and falls is entirely defined by gravity. And since Mars is at roughly 1/3 G, water will fall roughly 1/3 more slowly.
I call as evidence Buzz Aldrin's description of the flow pattern of the wine he poured when he took Communion on the lunar surface. He said the wine poured in slow motion and moved about in the tiny chalice he used as it would on Earth, but more slowly and more with exaggerated motions. It was easier to make the liquid slosh and try to rise up over the lip of the cup than it would have been on Earth -- as he poured, the wine curled right up to the opposite lip of the cup. (Leave it to Aldrin to carefully examine the physics of fluid motion in 1/6 G while taking Communion... ) Roughly double the gravity (damping down the motions somewhat) and scale up a tiny chalice to rushing floodwaters and lakes, if not seas, and you get an idea of the semi-slow-motion, vertically exaggerated waves you'd likely have seen on Mars. -the other Doug -------------------- “The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right.” -Mark Twain
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