Hi!

We're Dr. Joe Levy and Cassie Stuurman—we study geological systems in cold regions on Earth to try to understand the evolution of the surface of Mars and how cold landscapes on Earth record evidence of climate change.

Ice is one of the most important, but least appreciated geological materials. It flows and melts when local climate conditions are warm, and piles up when conditions are cold. You can drink it, measure the chemical fingerprint of past ice ages locked away in it, and even look for modern and ancient microbial life in it. So how do we use planetary analogs on Earth to understand surface processes on Mars? Where is the ice on Mars? How similar is it to glacial and permafrost landforms on Earth? What kind of changes to the surface of Mars and Earth have been wrought by changing climate over the last few million years? How are we going to use ice on Mars when humans begin to settle on that planet?

This is the paper Joe published - Candidate volcanic and impact-induced ice depressions on Mars

and this is the paper Cassie published - SHARAD Detection and Characterization of Subsurface Water Ice Deposits in Utopia Planitia, Mars

And here's the original Reddit post that made it to the front page - A strangely shaped depression on Mars could be a new place to look for signs of life on the Red Planet, according to a study. The depression was probably formed by a volcano beneath a glacier and could have been a warm, chemical-rich environment well suited for microbial life.

I will be back at 1 pm EDT to answer your questions, ask me anything!