Study finds Mars’ north polar ice only 3% dust, far cleaner than thought

Researchers using Mars Express imagery and multiple datasets say the ice is far cleaner than earlier estimates suggested.

By Felo News Desk · Published Fri, 02 Oct 2026 20:46:25 GMT

Scientists have determined that the top layer of ice at Mars’ north pole contains roughly 3% dust, a stark contrast to the 25% figure long‑held by the research community, according to two recent reports.

What happened

Using high‑resolution images from the Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera and a suite of complementary datasets, a team led by University of Washington planetary scientist Aditya Khuller re‑examined the dust content of the polar ice. Their analysis, published in the journal npj Space Exploration, concluded that the ice’s dust fraction is about three percent and described the ice as an “ice‑cream sandwich” of alternating dusty and cleaner layers that shift with the seasons. The study applied a revised radiative‑transfer framework to six north‑polar locations, finding dust contents as low as 0.04% on Sol 28 and rising to 0.45% after 58 sols.

What the reports add

Scitechdaily highlighted the composite view of Korolev crater assembled from five orbital strips, emphasizing that the clean ice layers could preserve a detailed record of Martian climate history, much like tree rings on Earth.
Gizmodo stressed that the earlier 25% estimate resulted from a calculation technique originally devised for lunar regolith, which over‑estimated impurity when applied to Martian ice.
Both outlets noted that the researchers tested three common radiative‑transfer models—originally used for Antarctic ice on Earth—and found they over‑estimated dust, prompting the adoption of an alternative method calibrated for Martian conditions.

What was said

“We know there is water ice in the area surrounding the north pole of Mars, but there has been widespread disagreement as to how dusty that ice is,” Aditya Khuller said in a statement reported by Gizmodo.

“If it is dustier, the ice will be darker. Just like a dark T‑shirt in the sun makes you warmer, dusty ice gets warmer and vaporizes faster on Mars,” Khuller told Scitechdaily.

How it came about

Previous missions, such as NASA’s Phoenix lander, sampled polar ice and suggested a dusty coating, leading to the 25% figure. The new work revisits those conclusions with refined imaging, a six‑site analysis, and revised analytical methods that correct the lunar‑regolith‑based calculations, offering a cleaner picture of the ice’s composition. This follows Felo’s recent coverage of Martian climate archives, including the Perseverance rover’s water‑history findings in Jezero crater (link).

Key facts

Mars' north polar ice contains roughly 3% dust (gizmodo.com)
Earlier estimates placed dust content at about 25% (gizmodo.com)
The study was published in npj Space Exploration (gizmodo.com)
Images were taken by the Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera (scitechdaily.com)
Aditya Khuller of the University of Washington co‑authored the study (gizmodo.com)