'First tree on Mars:' Scientists measure greenhouse effect needed to terraform Red Planet

image via Space.com

October 29, 2024, 4:00 PM

• •New research shows that the conditions that would allow plant growth on Mars do not occur first in the tropics of the planet.
• •The atmospheric conditions existing on Mars today make the existence of life impossible.
• •The research focused on temperature as this is the fundamental environmental variable that changes during terraforming and it controls the CO2 cycle and the formation of liquid water.

New research shows that the conditions that would allow plant growth on Mars do not occur first in the "tropics" of the planet. Instead, the Hellas Basin region is the most likely place for trees to grow on the Red Planet. The atmospheric conditions existing on Mars today make the existence of life impossible, but with a significant increase in CO2 levels, the planet could be terraformed to support plant life.

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