11. ICE DOESN'T ONLY EXIST ON EARTH.
Hydrogen and oxygen, the building blocks of water, are plentiful in our solar system. But depending on their proximity to the Sun, different planets in the solar system have different amounts of water. Those furthest from the Sun, like Jupiter and Saturn, have much more water than those closer to the Sun, like Earth, Mercury and Mars, where high temperatures made it harder for hydrogen and oxygen to form water molecules.
Those planets of the outer solar system have several icy moons. One of the most intriguing is Europa, which is covered by a layer of ice several kilometers thick. Its icy surface contains intricate patterns of cracks and ridges, likely caused by tides of its subsurface ocean. Europa’s abundant water has led scientists to speculate whether it might be capable of supporting life.
12. THERE'S SUCH A THING AS AN ICE VOLCANO.
Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons, has another curious feature. Its southern polar region contains “cryovolcanoes” —an exotic type of geyser thats spews ice instead of magma. It happens when ice deep below the surface gets heated and turned into a vapor that then erupts into the moon’s chilly atmosphere as ice particles.
13. ICE ON MARS COULD HOLD THE KEY TO LIFE ON THE PLANET.
Satellites tell us that Mars stores its ice (both dry ice and frozen water) in polar ice caps, permafrost and on a handful of glaciers. And the Red Planet’s reserves of ice may hold clues to the long-debated question of whether it is capable of supporting life.
Until recently, it was thought that the current extremely low temperatures and thin atmosphere of the planet prevented water from existing in its liquid state. But in 2015, NASA scientists reported compelling evidence that briny water is still present on Mars, at least occasionally. Where that water comes from remains a mystery, but one theory focuses on melting subsurface ice as the source. Could that limited amount of water sustain life under current planetary conditions? That’s something future missions to Mars will continue exploring.
14. ICE CORES TELL A FASCINATING HISTORY OF THE EARTH.
Glaciers are a vast resource of information about conditions on Earth over hundreds of thousands of years. Climatologists drill cylinder-shaped samples of ice from glaciers and analyze the dust, minerals, ash, gas bubbles and human-made pollutants that have collected in snow for millennia.
From this data, they can determine details about things as varied as forest fires, volcanic activity, sea ice extent, solar variability and atmospheric circulation, as well as anticipate future climatic conditions. The National Ice Core Laboratory alone has more than 70,000 ice samplesto piece together a picture of the Earth over long periods of time. Want to explore for yourself? The World Data Center for Paleoclimatology maintains incredible archives of ice core data.
15. SOME OF THE BEST-PRESERVED MUMMIES WERE FROZEN.
From the Andes to the Alps, frozen human remains allow us fascinating glimpses of how people lived hundreds and thousands of years ago. One of the most exquisitely well-preserved is the Incan teenager known as La Doncella, or the Maiden, who was left along with two younger children as religious offerings near the frigid summit of an Argentinian volcano more than 500 years ago. Another, much older specimen is Ötzi the Iceman, discovered in the Alps near the Austria-Italy border in 1991. For being a 5300-year-old corpse, Ötzi looks pretty darned good.
Hydrogen and oxygen, the building blocks of water, are plentiful in our solar system. But depending on their proximity to the Sun, different planets in the solar system have different amounts of water. Those furthest from the Sun, like Jupiter and Saturn, have much more water than those closer to the Sun, like Earth, Mercury and Mars, where high temperatures made it harder for hydrogen and oxygen to form water molecules.
Those planets of the outer solar system have several icy moons. One of the most intriguing is Europa, which is covered by a layer of ice several kilometers thick. Its icy surface contains intricate patterns of cracks and ridges, likely caused by tides of its subsurface ocean. Europa’s abundant water has led scientists to speculate whether it might be capable of supporting life.
12. THERE'S SUCH A THING AS AN ICE VOLCANO.
Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons, has another curious feature. Its southern polar region contains “cryovolcanoes” —an exotic type of geyser thats spews ice instead of magma. It happens when ice deep below the surface gets heated and turned into a vapor that then erupts into the moon’s chilly atmosphere as ice particles.
13. ICE ON MARS COULD HOLD THE KEY TO LIFE ON THE PLANET.
Satellites tell us that Mars stores its ice (both dry ice and frozen water) in polar ice caps, permafrost and on a handful of glaciers. And the Red Planet’s reserves of ice may hold clues to the long-debated question of whether it is capable of supporting life.
Until recently, it was thought that the current extremely low temperatures and thin atmosphere of the planet prevented water from existing in its liquid state. But in 2015, NASA scientists reported compelling evidence that briny water is still present on Mars, at least occasionally. Where that water comes from remains a mystery, but one theory focuses on melting subsurface ice as the source. Could that limited amount of water sustain life under current planetary conditions? That’s something future missions to Mars will continue exploring.
14. ICE CORES TELL A FASCINATING HISTORY OF THE EARTH.
Glaciers are a vast resource of information about conditions on Earth over hundreds of thousands of years. Climatologists drill cylinder-shaped samples of ice from glaciers and analyze the dust, minerals, ash, gas bubbles and human-made pollutants that have collected in snow for millennia.
From this data, they can determine details about things as varied as forest fires, volcanic activity, sea ice extent, solar variability and atmospheric circulation, as well as anticipate future climatic conditions. The National Ice Core Laboratory alone has more than 70,000 ice samplesto piece together a picture of the Earth over long periods of time. Want to explore for yourself? The World Data Center for Paleoclimatology maintains incredible archives of ice core data.
15. SOME OF THE BEST-PRESERVED MUMMIES WERE FROZEN.
From the Andes to the Alps, frozen human remains allow us fascinating glimpses of how people lived hundreds and thousands of years ago. One of the most exquisitely well-preserved is the Incan teenager known as La Doncella, or the Maiden, who was left along with two younger children as religious offerings near the frigid summit of an Argentinian volcano more than 500 years ago. Another, much older specimen is Ötzi the Iceman, discovered in the Alps near the Austria-Italy border in 1991. For being a 5300-year-old corpse, Ötzi looks pretty darned good.