According to a research from Northwestern and Chicago universities, a novel strategy for warming Mars maybe 5,000 times more effective than earlier ones. People have questioned whether there is a method to bring life to the dead and frigid surface of Mars ever since it was discovered. Researchers from the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and the University of Central Florida have put out a ground-breaking plan for terraforming Mars in an article that was published on August 7, 2024, in Science Advances. This new technique might warm the Red Planet by more than 50 degrees Fahrenheit, reaching temperatures appropriate for microbial life—a critical first step towards making Mars livable. The technique involves releasing manufactured dust particles into the atmosphere.

The suggested approach to globally warming Mars is more than five thousand times more effective than earlier plans, signifying a substantial advancement in our capacity to alter the Martian environment.  This strategy differs from previous approaches that relied on importing materials from Earth or mining rare Martian resources since it uses resources that are easily accessible on the planet, making it significantly more viable. It would take decades to implement this plan. However, compared to other plans put up thus far, it seems more manageable logistically.

According to Edwin Kite, a corresponding author of the work and associate professor of geophysical sciences at the University of Chicago, "This suggests that the barrier to warming Mars to allow liquid water is not as high as previously thought." Samaneh Ansari, a graduate student at Northwestern University working with Prof. Hooman Mohseni, was the primary author. 
It will take a lot more work to make Mars habitable enough for humans to walk on its surface without assistance, so astronauts won't be able to breathe its thin atmosphere. However, by enabling food crops and bacteria to live on the planet, perhaps the framework could be set for the eventual addition of oxygen to the atmosphere, as has already happened for Earth throughout its geologic history.

(The Big Question: Aside from 'terraforming Mars', can man change or adjust Mars' environment to make it more suitable? Source: Google Images) 

A fresh take on a long-standing dream

Proposals to habitat Mars have been made for a long time; in 1971, Carl Sagan himself proposed one. These have ranged from blatant fantasies, like science fiction authors imagining that one of Mars' moons could be turned into a sun, to more modern and tenable concepts, such as creating heat-trapping translucent gel tiles. 

The Need For A Complex Strategy ~

(Source: Google Images)

Deadly UV rays and salted soil are only two of the obstacles that must be overcome in any strategy to make Mars habitable. The greatest, though, is the average temperature of the planet's surface, which is -80 degrees Fahrenheit on Mars. The same tactic that people unknowingly utilize on Earth might be used to warm the planet as well: adding materials to the atmosphere would strengthen Mars' built-in greenhouse effect, trapping solar heat near the planet's surface.  The issue is that you would require an actual tonne of these materials. Previous plans relied on transporting gasses from Earth to Mars or trying to mine the planet for a significant amount of uncommon ingredients—both of which are expensive and challenging endeavors.

However, the scientists questioned if it could be accomplished by processing elements that are already widely available on Mars. Iron and aluminum are abundant in the dust of Mars, as rovers like ‘Curiosity’  have demonstrated. Due to their size and makeup, such dust particles tend to slightly cool the surface rather than warm it, making them ineffective on their own to warm the planet. However, the researchers reasoned that if we manufactured dust particles with various compositions or forms, maybe we might trap heat more effectively. The particles that the researchers created resembled short rods and were about the same size as commercial glitter. The purpose of these particles is to increase Mars' inherent greenhouse effect by absorbing heat that is escaping and dispersing sunlight toward the surface. 

“How light interacts with sub-wavelength objects is fascinating. Importantly, engineering nanoparticles can lead to optical effects that far exceed what is conventionally expected from such small particles,” said Ansari. Mohseni, who is a co-author.

These Leads are moving towards unraveling exciting Mars-related research ~

According to the scientists, there is still more to be done. For example, they are unsure of the precise rate at which the artificial dust would evaporate from Mars' atmosphere. It is true that Mars has clouds and water, and that when the planet heats, more water may begin to condense around the particles and return to the surface as rain.

"Climate feedbacks are really difficult to model accurately," Kite cautioned. “To implement something like this, we would need more data from both Mars and Earth, and we'd need to proceed slowly and reversibly to ensure the effects work as intended.”

The researchers stress that while this approach is a major advancement in terraforming research, the goal of the project is not to create a habitable atmosphere for people for now but rather to raise Mars to a temperature that supports microbial life and potentially food crops.