Coupling Planet Simulator Mars, a general circulation model of the Martian atmosphere, to the ice sheet model SICOPOLIS

A general circulation model of the Martian Atmosphere is coupled with a 3-dimensional polythermal ice-sheet model of the polar ice caps. With this combination a series of experiments is carried out to investigate the impact of long-term obliquity change on the Martian north polar ice cap (NPC). The behaviour of the NPC is tested Under obliquities of theta = 15 degrees, 25 degrees and 35 degrees. With increasing obliquity the area covered by the NPC gets smaller but does not vanish. However, when started from an ice-free condition the models develop an ice cap only for low obliquities. The 'critical' obliquity at which a build-up of a new polar cap is possible is theta = 22 degrees. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.