--- title: "Scientists Figured Out Why Mars’ South Pole Looks Like Swiss Cheese" description: "A new study paints a detailed picture of Mars' climate and water cycle — by mapping how its Swiss cheese-like polar deposits formed over time." date: "2023-03-13" modified: "2023-03-13" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/mars-south-pole-swiss-cheese" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Mars" - "Space" tags: - "colonizing mars" - "mars" - "martian atmosphere" - "martian water cycle" --- # Scientists Figured Out Why Mars’ South Pole Looks Like Swiss Cheese ![A new study paints a detailed picture of Mars' climate and water cycle — by mapping how its Swiss cheese-like polar deposits formed over time.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* In stark contrast to the rest of the planet's rusty-red surface, Mars' south pole is covered in bizarre, Swiss cheese-like formations. While scientists have known for a few years now what those formations are made of — layers of frozen carbon dioxide and frozen water that have been deposited over many years — researchers have had a difficult time tracing how the formations developed and transformed over shorter periods of time. Now, as detailed in a [study]() published in the journal *Geophysical Research Letters*, planetary scientist Peter Buhler of the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona, presented a model that maps a 510,000-year climate history of how the planet's fantastical Swiss cheese formation changed in accordance to the planet's orbital polar tilts — an "essential step" for understanding our neighboring planet's water cycle. "Mars experiences 100,000-year cycles in which its poles vary from tilting more toward or away from the Sun," Buhler said in a [press release.]() "These variations cause the amount of sunlight shining on each latitude band, and thus the temperature of each band, to cycle, too." "Water ice moves from warmer to colder regions during these cycles," he added, "driving Mars' basic long-term global water cycle." In the study, Buhler utilized a numerical model "to simulate the build-up of the layers over time." He then ran that model "approximately one billion times," until he was finally able to statistically determine which specific configuration of water deposition best matched the Swiss cheese layers present on the planet today. The research could give us deep insights into the ancient history of Mars. "The water layer thicknesses tell us how much water vapor has been in Mars' atmosphere and how that water vapor has moved around the globe," he explained. "The carbon dioxide layers tell us the history of how much of the atmosphere froze onto the ground, and thus how thick or thin Mars' atmosphere was in the past." But understanding the planet's climate patterns isn't just an essential part of understanding how our neighboring planet came to be. If human beings were to ever colonize Mars, understanding its atmosphere and water cycle will be key to our survival. "The history of Mars' atmospheric pressure and availability of water are critical information for understanding the basic workings of Mars' climate and near-surface geologic, chemical, and perhaps even biologic history," Buhler said in the press release. "Specifically, the results of this work provide a major step forward for deciphering the basic workings of Mars' water cycle," he continued, adding that the "availability of near-surface water sources is critical for enabling near-surface life as we know it." **More on Mars:** N[*ASA Rover Snaps Amazing View of Sunset on Mars*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()