Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Simulating Impacts of Ice Storms on Forest Ecosystems
Published on: June 30, 2020
Mars water-ice clouds and precipitation
J A Whiteway1, L Komguem, C Dickinson
1Department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. whiteway@yorku.ca
Abstract:
The light detection and ranging instrument on the Phoenix mission observed water-ice clouds in the atmosphere of Mars that were similar to cirrus clouds on Earth. Fall streaks in the cloud structure traced the precipitation of ice crystals toward the ground. Measurements of atmospheric dust indicated that the planetary boundary layer (PBL) on Mars was well mixed, up to heights of around 4 kilometers, by the summer daytime turbulence and convection. The water-ice clouds were detected at the top of the PBL and near the ground each night in late summer after the air temperature started decreasing. The interpretation is that water vapor mixed upward by daytime turbulence and convection forms ice crystal clouds at night that precipitate back toward the surface.
Related Concept Videos
Precipitation Processes
States of Water
Water freezes when the intermolecular forces are greater than the kinetic energy. Unlike most other substances, water is less dense in its solid state than in its liquid state. This is because each water molecule can form...
Precipitation and Co-precipitation
Precipitation of Ions
The equation that describes the equilibrium between solid calcium carbonate and its solvated ions is:
Types of Coprecipitation
Sometimes, ions in a crystal lattice can undergo isomorphous replacement by inclusions of similar charge and size. For...
Precipitation Gravimetry
In determining nickel by gravimetric analysis, a precipitant of ethanolic dimethylglyoxime is added to a hot nickel salt solution. This is quickly followed by the dropwise addition of dilute ammonia solution until precipitation occurs. A...

