Today's Image of Mars shows strangely uniform layered deposits in Danielson Crater, as taken by HiRISE. The uniform size of these layers is indicative of climate change on Mars that occurs in regular intervals.
So what does that mean? It means that our solar system goes through recurring, regular changes that effect the climate of places within it. Yes, I know these layers only tell us that Mars goes through regular changes in climate, but there has to be a reason for that doesn't there? If we know that climate change occurs on a regular basis in our solar system we can begin predicting when the next change will occur so that we're more prepared for it. We can do this by analyzing features like the below layers on Mars to determine the intervals between each shift in climate.
By studying what has occurred in the past we can better understand the present, while preparing for what the past tells us will happen in the future. Failure to prepare is preparation for failure. If we don't prepare for climate change - what history tells is a recurring trend and something we may not be able to fully prevent -then we are gambling with the life of our species.
The first step to understanding climate change is by analyzing layers like the ones below to determine how often change occurs, how drastic the change is, and how abruptly it comes about. Understanding the process will bring us one step closer to controlling it and ensuring that we don't get caught unawares by something that we should have predicted.
Click to see the original high resolution image from HiRISE. [See their caption for the image] |
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