Workshop Overview:

We will investigate and explore the best route for solving the profound puzzles arising from the recent ground-truth detection of methane on Mars by the Tunable Laser Spectrometer (TLS) onboard Curiosity [Webster et al. 2014]. This discovery reorients our understanding of the Martian environment and its potential for life.

The current theoretical framework of Mars does not entail any active source of CH₄, and it is predicted to have a lifetime of ~300 years in the Martian atmosphere - far shorter than the planet's age [Summers et al. 2002, Nair et al. 2005, Atreya et al. 2007, Lefevre & Forget 2009]. Hence, methane's atmospheric existence requires a continually replenishing source, potentially subverting assumptions of a geologically and biologically dead Mars [Allen et al. 2006]. Furthermore, methane's high variability despite fast atmospheric mixing (compared to its atmospheric lifetime) defies explanation. This discovery necessitates a new era of research pursuing answers to the questions: What is generating methane, and how is it destroyed or sequestered on Mars?

This image illustrates possible ways methane might be added to Mars' atmosphere (sources) and removed from the atmosphere (sinks). NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has detected fluctuations in methane concentration in the atmosphere, implying both types of activity occur on modern Mars.

Under this program, an interdisciplinary group of experts will develop an exploration and technology-development strategy for resolving methane sources and sinks on Mars. Existing hypotheses of Martian methane sources include gas-water-rock chemistry and microbes (methanogens). If proven, the former implies the existence of environs offering liquid water and chemical sources of energy - i.e. habitability - while the latter implies the discovery of life on Mars. Solving these puzzles innately requires a concerted research effort across many disciplines and major technological advancements, including new measurement and exploration capabilities and methodologies. KISS's unique think-and-do-tank approach, along with Caltech/JPL's leadership in Mars exploration makes this program arguably the world's best platform for catalyzing the synthesis of a grand strategy.

Workshop Participants:

• Patrick Beckett - JPL/Caltech
• Pin Chen - JPL/Caltech
• Bethany Ehlmann - Caltech Campus
• John Eiler - Caltech Campus
• Giuseppe Etiope - Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia
• Francois Forget  - CNRS
• Peter Gao - Caltech Campus
• Renyu Hu - JPL/Caltech
• Armin Kleinboehl - JPL/Caltech
• Franck Lefevre - CNRS
• Charles Miller - JPL/Caltech
• Michael Mischna - JPL/Caltech
• Michael Mumma - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
• Kenneth Nealson - University of Southern California
• Mitchio Okumura - Caltech Campus
• Ronald  Oremland - US Geological Survey
• Victoria Orphan - Caltech Campus
• Michael Russell - JPL/Caltech
• Linhan Shen - Caltech Campus
• Barbara Sherwood Lollar - University of Toronto
• Vlada Stamenkovic - Caltech Campus/JPL
• Daniel Stolper - Princeton University
• Chris Webster - JPL/Caltech
• Paul O.  Wennberg - Caltech Campus
• Michael Wong - Caltech Campus
• Yuk Yung – Caltech Campus

Short Course Presentations
B. Ehlmann, Caltech Campus	The History of Liquid Water on Mars (5.45 MB .pdf) (video)
K. Nealson, USC	Life in the Martian Context (758 KB .pdf) (video)
M. Mischna, JPL/Caltech	Atmospheric Dynamics: Martian Climate History (3.87 MB .pdf) (video)
B. Sherwood Lollar, University of Toronto	Differentiation of Biotic and Abiotic CH4: Lessons from terrestrial analogs (8 MB .pdf) (video)
C. Webster, JPL/Caltech	Atmospheric Chemistry and Methane Measurements (4.89 MB .pdf) (video)

Workshop Presentations
S. Atreya, University of Michigan	Origin of Mars methane, now or in the past (4 MB .pdf)
B. Ehlmann, Caltech Campus	Some background on (1) Martian heatflow, (2) water and physical properties of the Mars subsurface, (3) water‐rock reactions, (4) places of escape of methane (3.64 MB .pdf)
G. Etiope, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia	Potential CH4 seepage on Mars (23.4 MB .pdf)
F. Forget CNRS	The Exomars Trace Gas Orbiter and the search for Methane (7.56 MB .pdf)
R. Hu JPL/Caltech	Hypotheses for Near-Surface Exchange of Methane on Mars (4.5 MB .pdf)
F. Lefèvre, LATMOS, Paris	Martian methane: Fluxes, Lifetimes etc (4.53 MB .pdf)
C. Miller, JPL/Caltech	Methane on Mars: Arctic Methanogenesis Analogs (279 KB .pdf)
M. Mumma, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center	Methane on Mars: Spatial & Temporal Variability (53.3 MB .pdf) Mars Organics Observer (13.8 MB .pdf)
R. Oremland US Geological Survey	Cryptic Anaerobic Oxidation of Methane (CAMO) (1.66 MB .pdf)
R. Popa, USC	SPEAR: Solitary Probe for Electrochemical Analysis and Reporting or Subsurface Penetrator for … (1.39 MB .pdf)
M. Russell JPL/Caltech	Workshop Notes (77 KB .pdf)
L. Shen Caltech Campus	Methane Source and Sink Attributions Using Cavity Ring-down Spectroscopy (1.72 MB .pdf)
R. Staehle and S. Spangelo JPL/Caltech	MarsDROP for Getting Small Payloads to Mars’ Surface: How many would you like, and where would you like them to help resolve questions about methane on Mars? (8.14 MB .pdf)
P. Wennberg, Caltech Campus	An Introducton to the Mars Atmospheric Trace Molecule Occultaton Spectrometer (MATMOS) (7 MB .pdf)
Y. Yung, Caltech Campus	Methane on Mars Study Program - Vision and Goals (1.65 MB .pdf)

Poster Session
G. Etiope, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia	Fast Abiotic Production of Methane At Temperatures <100°C (1 MB .pdf)
M. Mumma, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center	Methane and Related Trace Gases on Mars during 2003-2015, and planned extensions through 2016 (41.4 MB .pdf)
M. Russell JPL/Caltech	Fluctuation relations, bioenergetics and the emergence of life (1.54 MB .pdf)
Vlada Stamenkovic Caltech Campus	Geodynamically Driven Temporal & Local Formation of Hydrogen & Hydrocarbons (3 MB .pdf)