The mountains of Pluto are snowcapped, but not for the same reasons as
on Earth

Date:
October 13, 2020
Source:
CNRS
Summary:
In 2015, the New Horizons space probe discovered spectacular
snowcapped mountains on Pluto, which are strikingly similar to
mountains on Earth.

Such a landscape had never before been observed elsewhere in the
Solar System. Scientists determined that the methane snow could
only appear at the peaks of Pluto's mountains high enough to reach
this enriched zone that the air contains enough methane for it
to condense.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
In 2015, the New Horizons space probe discovered spectacular snowcapped mountains on Pluto, which are strikingly similar to mountains on
Earth. Such a landscape had never before been observed elsewhere in the
Solar System.

However, as atmospheric temperatures on our planet decrease at altitude,
on Pluto they heat up at altitude as a result of solar radiation.


==========================================================================
So where does this ice come from? An international team led by CNRS
scientists* conducted this exploration. They first determined that the
"snow" on Pluto's mountains actually consists of frozen methane, with
traces of this gas being present in Pluto's atmosphere, just like water
vapour on Earth.

Then, to understand how the same landscape could be produced in such
different conditions, they used a climate model for the dwarf planet,
which revealed that due to its particular dynamics, Pluto's atmosphere
is rich in gaseous methane at altitudes. As a result, it is only at the
peaks of mountains high enough to reach this enriched zone that the air contains enough methane for it to condense.

At lower altitudes the air is too low in methane for ice to form.

This research, published in Nature Communications, could also explain
why the thick glaciers consisting of methane observed elsewhere on Pluto bristle with spectacular craggy ridges, unlike Earth's flat glaciers,
which consist of water.

*- Scientists from the IPSL Dynamic Meteorology Laboratory (CNRS /
Sorbonne Universite' / E'cole polytechnique / ENS Paris), the Institute
for Planetary Sciences and Astrophysics of Grenoble (CNRS / Universite' Grenoble Alpes), the NASA Ames Research Center, and the Lowell Observatory (Unite States) took part in this research.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by CNRS. Note: Content may be edited
for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Tanguy Bertrand, Franc,ois Forget, Bernard Schmitt, Oliver L. White,
William M. Grundy. Equatorial mountains on Pluto are covered by
methane frosts resulting from a unique atmospheric process. Nature
Communications, 2020; 11 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18845-3 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201013134310.htm

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