Mars famously has two ice caps, one at each pole, and two volatiles: carbon dioxide and water. Additionally, at both poles, seasonal ice deposits in the winter darkness and sublimates throughout the spring to expose the residual ice and the polar layered deposits. Investigations of the properties of the ice caps through remote sensing has led to the identification of possible climate signatures, and laboratory investigations of ice properties in Martian conditions can help explain some of the puzzling properties that we observe.
In this talk, I will cover properties of the ice from the granular level up to the climate archive stored in the north polar layered deposits. In particular, I will cover new results from my own investigations using radar sounding and glacial modeling, plus results from students working with me regarding laboratory results that probe the quizzical reflective properties of carbon dioxide ice deposited annually at the south pole of Mars and the variable retreat of the seasonal caps. There will be pretty pictures!