NASA: Clues to Seasonal Water Flow on Mars

NASA's Mars Orbiters Find Clues to Seasonal Water Flow on Martian Surface

NASA says the Mars orbiters have returned with significant clues indicating the presence of free flowing water on the Martian surface.

The two spacecrafts, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and  Mars Odyssey, offer clues about the seasonal features of the Red planet and which are the strongest indication that  liquid water may exist on Mars.

The indication of the presence of free flowing water comes from the seasonal dark flows also called the recurring slope lineae (RSL).  The agency says there are dark finger-like markings that appear to flow down the Martian mountains as the temperature on the surface rises. 

As reported in Forbes, scientists examining the Martian environment believe that these dark flows are triggered by saltwater that contain iron sulphate solution preventing the water from freezing in the Martian temperatures. Though it isn't clear whether RSL is due to the seasonal liquid flow during the summer, but images captured by MRO reveal that the RSL does have flowing water.

"We still don't have a smoking gun for existence of water in RSL, although we're not sure how this process would take place without water," said Lujendra Ojha, a graduate student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, and lead author of two reports about these flows