A decade of Mars images reveals why the bright ice in its polar craters keeps shifting

Near Mars’s north pole lies a frozen archive of the planet’s climate — an ice stack kilometers thick, like a giant ice core. Small craters on its surface hold bright patches of ice that come and go each Mars year. Watching 36 of them for nearly a Mars decade with the sharpest camera in orbit, scientists found most are restless — and that local seasonal frost, not long-term climate, calls the shots. We explain the finding and why it matters for reading Mars’s climate record.

To access the full content, become a member by clicking the link below.