The white edges along these gullies in Mars’ Terra Sirenum are believed to be dusty water ice. Scientists think meltwater could form beneath the surface of this kind of ice, providing a place for possible photosynthesis. This is an enhanced-color image; the blue color would not actually be perceptible to the human eye.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
Is there life on Mars? People have been asking this question for centuries. Now NASA says it may have discovered evidence of microbial life under ice on the planet and the possibility of photosynthesis there. A new NASA study published in the journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment showed that enough light could penetrate the ice to allow for photosynthesis to occur.
On Earth, sunlight can penetrate ice to significant depths, depending on the ice’s purity. This allows organisms within the ice to harness energy from sunlight while being shielded from harmful UV radiation. Mars, lacking a protective ozone layer, receives more intense UV radiation than Earth. Yet, our modeling shows that even under these harsh conditions, certain depths within Martian ice can still support life. This is because the ice itself can act as a natural filter, blocking some of the UV radiation. In fact, numerical models suggest that in certain mid-latitude regions, the heat from sunlight can melt the ice from below, creating potential habitats for life.
The NASA study suggests that dusty ice on Mars can allow sunlight to penetrate as deep as 3 meters, enabling photosynthesis. This could create subsurface habitats where water pools remain protected from both evaporation and harmful radiation. Unlike Earth, Mars lacks a magnetic field to shield it from the Sun and cosmic rays. The study identifies the mid-latitudes of both hemispheres as prime locations for the formation of such subsurface water reservoirs.
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“If we’re trying to find life anywhere in the universe today, Martian ice exposures are probably one of the most accessible places we should be looking,” said the paper’s lead author, Aditya Khuller of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
On Earth, dust within ice can create what are called cryoconite holes — small cavities that form in ice when particles of windblown dust (called cryoconite) land there, absorb sunlight, and melt farther into the ice each summer. Eventually, as these dust particles travel farther from the Sun’s rays, they stop sinking, but they still generate enough warmth to create a pocket of meltwater around them. The pockets can nourish a thriving ecosystem for simple lifeforms..
“This is a common phenomenon on Earth,” said co-author Phil Christensen of Arizona State University in Tempe, referring to ice melting from within. “Dense snow and ice can melt from the inside out, letting in sunlight that warms it like a greenhouse, rather than melting from the top down.”
