Why can permanent liquid water not exist on Mars today? A)Both atmospheric pressure and surface temperature are too low, and any water would be in the form of ice or vapor. B)The surface of Mars is too porous to allow water to remain on the surface. C)Water would react with the CO₂ in the atmosphere to form carbonic acid, which would react quickly with the rocks on Mars to destroy the water. D)Surface temperatures are too high, since at the low Martian atmospheric pressure, water would just boil away at the present Martian temperatures.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Both the atmospheric pressure and surface temperature on Mars are too low, with surface temperatures too low to keep water from freezing or too high at the low atmospheric pressure, causing water to boil away. This means that any liquid water that may exist on Mars would quickly freeze or vaporize. Therefore, permanent liquid water cannot exist on Mars today.

Why Can Permanent Liquid Water Not Exist on Mars Today