The source of Mars methane is unknown; its detection is shown here.
The reported presence of methane in the atmosphere of Mars is of interest to many geologists and astrobiologists ,[ 1] as methane may indicate the presence of microbial life on Mars , or a geochemical process such as volcanism or hydrothermal activity .[ 2] [ 3] [ 4] [ 5] [ 6] [ 7]
Since 2004, trace amounts of methane (range from 60 ppbv to under detection limit (< 0.05 ppbv)) have been reported in various missions and observational studies.[ 8] [ 9] [ 10] [ 11] [ 12] The source of methane on Mars and the explanation for the enormous discrepancy in the observed methane concentrations are still unknown and are under study.[ 1] [ 13] Whenever methane is detected, it is rapidly removed from the atmosphere by an efficient, yet unknown process.[ 14]
^ a b Yung, Yuk L.; Chen, Pin; Nealson, Kenneth; Atreya, Sushil; Beckett, Patrick; Blank, Jennifer G.; Ehlmann, Bethany; Eiler, John; Etiope, Giuseppe (2018-09-19). "Methane on Mars and Habitability: Challenges and Responses" . Astrobiology . 18 (10): 1221–1242. Bibcode :2018AsBio..18.1221Y . doi :10.1089/ast.2018.1917 . ISSN 1531-1074 . PMC 6205098 . PMID 30234380 .
^ "Making Sense of Mars' Methane" . Astrobiology Magazine . June 2008. Archived from the original on 2012-05-31.{{cite news }}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link )
^ Steigerwald, Bill (15 January 2009). "Martian Methane Reveals the Red Planet is not a Dead Planet" . NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center . NASA. Retrieved 24 January 2009 .
^ Howe, K. L.; Gavin, P.; Goodhart, T.; Kral, T. A. (2009). Methane Production by Methanogens in Perchlorate-Supplemented Media (PDF) . 40th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.
^ Levin, Gilbert V.; Straat, Patricia Ann (3 September 2009). "Methane and life on Mars". Proc. SPIE . Proceedings of SPIE. 7441 (74410D): 74410D. Bibcode :2009SPIE.7441E..0DL . doi :10.1117/12.829183 . S2CID 73595154 .
^ Potter, Sean (2018-06-07). "NASA Finds Ancient Organic Material, Mysterious Methane on Mars" . NASA . Retrieved 2019-06-06 .
^ Witze, Alexandra (2018-10-25). "Mars scientists edge closer to solving methane mystery". Nature . 563 (7729): 18–19. Bibcode :2018Natur.563...18W . doi :10.1038/d41586-018-07177-4 . PMID 30377322 . S2CID 256769669 .
^ Formisano, Vittorio; Atreya, Sushil; Encrenaz, Thérèse ; Ignatiev, Nikolai; Giuranna, Marco (2004-12-03). "Detection of Methane in the Atmosphere of Mars" . Science . 306 (5702): 1758–1761. Bibcode :2004Sci...306.1758F . doi :10.1126/science.1101732 . ISSN 0036-8075 . PMID 15514118 . S2CID 13533388 .
^ Mumma, M. J.; Villanueva, G. L.; Novak, R. E.; Hewagama, T.; Bonev, B. P.; DiSanti, M. A.; Mandell, A. M.; Smith, M. D. (2009-02-20). "Strong Release of Methane on Mars in Northern Summer 2003" . Science . 323 (5917): 1041–1045. Bibcode :2009Sci...323.1041M . doi :10.1126/science.1165243 . ISSN 0036-8075 . PMID 19150811 . S2CID 25083438 .
^ Cite error: The named reference :36
was invoked but never defined (see the help page ).
^ Vasavada, Ashwin R.; Zurek, Richard W.; Sander, Stanley P.; Crisp, Joy; Lemmon, Mark; Hassler, Donald M.; Genzer, Maria; Harri, Ari-Matti; Smith, Michael D. (2018-06-08). "Background levels of methane in Mars' atmosphere show strong seasonal variations" . Science . 360 (6393): 1093–1096. Bibcode :2018Sci...360.1093W . doi :10.1126/science.aaq0131 . ISSN 0036-8075 . PMID 29880682 .
^ Cite error: The named reference :37
was invoked but never defined (see the help page ).
^ esa. "The methane mystery" . European Space Agency . Retrieved 2019-06-07 .
^ Etiope, Giuseppe; Oehler, Dorothy Z. (2019). "Methane spikes, background seasonality and non-detections on Mars: A geological perspective". Planetary and Space Science . 168 : 52–61. Bibcode :2019P&SS..168...52E . doi :10.1016/j.pss.2019.02.001 . S2CID 127748445 .