Space for the unexpected in the climate crisis

Martian weather forecasts and artworks inspired by space sensors: the increasing intensity and frequency of extreme events undermine the effectiveness of traditional methods, pushing us to break through psychological, mental, and cultural barriers. It’s time to consider new ways to understand how to mitigate and communicate a global problem: scientific, but also human, to which we can all contribute.

In the first Mars weather report, on 15 March 2017, winds around the Gale Crater were reported. On 11 July 2017, in the second edition, strong vortices known as Dust Devils raged over the Red Planet. The weather forecasts for this celestial body, which orbits at an average distance of 228 million kilometers from Earth, were not the brainchild of a filmmaker, a science fiction writer, or an amateur radio operator seeking fame. The masterminds behind this concept were three scientists—Jorge Pla-García, Antonio Molina, and Javier Gómez Elvira—from the Centro de Astrobiología (CAB)¹, associated with NASA’s astrobiology program.

These three scientists, specializing in the design and construction of weather stations for Martian missions, have made Spain the first nation in the world to measure winds, rains, and atmospheric phenomena on Mars, producing genuine reports intended for the general public². Undoubtedly an original idea, but also a useful one? Jorge Pla-García turned his gaze away from Mars for a few hours to explain us how and why.

Martian water, life, and dust

Jorge Pla-García è ricercatore al Centro di Astrobiologia (CAB – Spagna) e allo Space Science Institute di Boulder (USA). Attualmente collabora a tre missioni NASA: lo strumento REMS (rover Curiosity), lo strumento TWINS (InSight) e lo strumento MEDA e membro dell’Atmospheres Council (entrambi i rover Perseverance). In passato ha lavorato alla missione ExoMars 2022 dell’ESA (strumento RLS) e all’Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias. Nel 2016 Jorge è stato Principal Investigator del progetto NASA-JPL “Study of methane detected by Curiosity Jorge Pla-García is a researcher at the Centro de Astrobiología (CAB – Spain) and the Space Science Institute in Boulder (USA). He is currently involved in three NASA missions: the REMS instrument (Curiosity rover), the TWINS instrument (InSight), and the MEDA instrument and is a member of the Atmospheres Council (both Perseverance rovers). Previously, he worked on the ESA’s ExoMars 2022 mission (RLS instrument) and at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias. In 2016, Jorge was the Principal Investigator for the NASA-JPL project “Study of methane detected by Curiosity with MRAMS”. He has also received two NASA awards (2013, 2015) as a member of the REMS team and another “Student Outstanding Presentation” award at the Japan Geoscience Union conference.

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Let’s start with why. «Thanks to the stations on Martian soil, we obtain a great deal of information that has greatly expanded our understanding of the planet Mars and its diverse landscape», explains Pla-García. For example, there is a growing suspicion that Mars once had liquid water on its surface. The presence of ice, evidence of ancient river valleys and lake beds, and even some minerals that typically form in the presence of water suggest that the planet was once not only irrigated but also animated by considerable volcanic and tectonic activity and erosion phenomena. So, let’s take a look at the Martian surface: from the peaks of Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system, to the depths of Valles Marineris, its deepest canyon, in an atmosphere with a pressure less than 1% of Earth’s and almost entirely composed of carbon dioxide. Water vapour and oxygen appear only in trace amounts, but there is plenty of dust. Pla-García speaks of violent dust storms disrupting the entire Martian planet, affecting «both robotic missions and potentially human ones, damaging solar-powered equipment and visibility». Also present in the atmosphere are organic molecules, which, along with the seasonal variations in methane detected, suggest a past inhabited by life. No direct evidence yet, Pla-García notes, but geological and chemical clues, such as liquid water, a denser atmosphere, and a warmer climate, inspire dreams of ancient and perhaps future inhabitants. Maybe even human…

Studying Mars to understand the Earth

«Potentially», is Pla-García’s answer to the question of whether humans might one day land on the “Red Planet”.

«Absolutely», is his response regarding the usefulness of studying Martian weather to gain insights into Earth’s atmospheric and meteorological processes.

Comparing the two different climate and weather systems can help us increase our understanding of how both may change under different conditions.

The weather data recorded on Mars—those curious reports that made world history—allow scientists to apply and validate atmospheric models on this planet, which can then be used for Earth after having been refined elsewhere. Even the terrible dust storms studied from such a distance provide information on how dust particles affect our weather models and atmospheric dynamics, impacting weather, climate, and human health.

Mars, he believes, is even a laboratory for studying the effects of greenhouse gases: «Its thin, carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere helps scientists predict and model the effects of rising levels of this gas on Earth’s climate». Despite the major differences between Mars’ water cycle and Earth’s, useful insights can still be drawn: «The sublimation and condensation of water ice on this planet may have analogies with some processes occurring in polar regions».

“Climate astronomy” crisis

«Nothing goes to waste» from the data collected, not even that from Mars: there is a dramatic climate crisis underway, and improving our understanding of Earth’s climate is urgent. Any tool that proves even minimally useful becomes precious. The study of Martian weather has already shown its value and could become increasingly so, given the many problems that severe climate change is creating for those who try to monitor and predict it from space using traditional methods: ESA or NASA missions, Chinese and Japanese satellites, and private company projects. «Earth’s climate crisis has a significant impact on the work of those who study it with methods known for years», Pla-García explains, detailing with painful and little-known specifics the many environmental challenges of what could be called “climate astronomy”.

«Extreme weather events like hurricanes, storms, and floods are increasingly disrupting launch programmes, damaging infrastructure and increasing the associated risks. Wider temperature variations can affect rocket fuel performance and other launch systems, requiring more robust design and careful timing», he says. «Rising sea levels and increased storm surges threaten many spaceports, such as NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, located near the coast. And changes in the atmosphere can affect its density at higher altitudes, potentially impacting the orbital decay rates of space debris. The collision risk for operational satellites and space stations could increase».

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Art opening science’s eyes

Those who risk (operational) crisis due to the same (climate) crisis they are studying either become demoralised or find new strength to oppose a phenomenon that needs to be understood ever better. Hence, the aerospace research community stops merely playing defence and deploys a growing sensitivity in planning strategies and tools.Pla-García indeed notes that «greater attention is now being paid to energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources to reduce the environmental impact of space missions, from ground operations to the functioning of spacecraft. There is also increasing demand for satellite missions focused on climate change monitoring to track greenhouse gases, rising sea levels, melting ice, deforestation, and other climate-related variables».

Mark Moldwin is a professor of climate and space sciences at the University of Michigan, executive director of the NASA Michigan Space Grant Consortium, and principal investigator for NASA’s Geospace Dynamics Constellation Magnetometer NEMISIS. His main research interests are the physics of magnetospheric, ionospheric, and heliospheric plasma, the development of magnetometers, and university-level space science education. He has published two textbooks, over 200 articles and essays, and holds four patents. Moldwin has received a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation and a Cottrell Scholarship from the Research Corporation, and he co-founded A2 Motus LLC, an educational research and technology company that develops devices for teachers and students to better understand complex systems through kinesthetic activities and space weather monitors.

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Space agencies are thus prioritising Earth observation missions, eager to provide critical data for climate science, but not only. They are also experimenting with new ways to raise awareness among people.Those who are now passively at the centre of the crisis can unexpectedly become potential allies in fighting it. Including artists. This happens, for example, when they work closely with scientists on projects that take a “communicating vessels” approach, like the Moldwin Art Prize³. This initiative does not simply ask art to look at science in a one-sided and passive way. The twist is in asking art to create taking inspiration from research while «living it firsthand», breathing in the experience of scientists with whom they can share spaces, days, successes, and failures.

This prize works just like that and was created by the man who gave it his name, Mark Moldwin. This climatology professor began inviting art students into his laboratories to showcase the investigative process and allow them to «produce interesting and exciting work inspired by research activities, facilitating interdisciplinary interactions between artists and scientists». Before him, a similar experiment was conducted by Cathryn Murphy⁴, a chemistry professor at the University of Illinois, who invited various types of artists to cohabit her laboratory alongside researchers studying gold nanoparticles of various sizes for potential biological applications. From the very first editions, unique and curious cross-contaminations emerged, which were decidedly stimulating.Drawings inspired by unusual shapes on a gold-coloured background that appeared on slides, jewellery in the form of particles developed in the laboratory, “golden” musical compositions, 3D collages, and light boxes resonating with the microscopic characteristics of the particles. Even a dance performance with a decidedly molecular rhythm.

From the edge of space to our own

It is no wonder that Moldwin was so fascinated by the idea that he wanted to replicate it himself, in his own lab, and opened its doors wide to welcome groups of “non-scientist” students. His aim is to gradually «include more engineering and science professors each year and extend the invitation to various types of works and performances. We continue to host artists in the Magnetometer Lab⁵ every year and are also looking to the world of music for new contacts and inspiration», he says.

Moldwin is insatiable for ingredients in his mixing of different disciplines, but he does not neglect the results already achieved. On the contrary, he speaks enthusiastically about them, making it easy to perceive their tangible benefits. «This experience has helped us to give proper importance to design in our way of communicating science. Working with artists, we have begun to think more about the impact of layout, colour, and simplicity when producing articles, figures, and poster presentations», he explains. The Magnetometer Lab researchers have also learned to «step back and explain their work to non-experts, encouraging the different groups to ask each other questions. We are all non-experts in many aspects of the various research projects, so exchange is necessary».

Moldwin has seen his research group change day by day, but the greatest satisfaction came from reading the participants’ comments at the end of the experience. He mentions some of them, kept on a dedicated sheet.

 «In an era when more and more citizens distrust science for political reasons, it is more important than ever to create artworks that enhance public awareness and understanding of scientific fields of study. The Moldwin Prize has encouraged me to continue helping to communicate ideas and inspire wonder».

And again: «I realised that collaboration with completely different types of people can lead to great artistic inspiration.This drives me to keep seeking more contacts with other scientists and researchers in the future».

These words encourage those involved in bold cross-pollination projects like Moldwin’s and offer concrete hope even to those who are simply wondering what can be done about the climate crisis.

Looking up at the sky alone is not enough, or rather, it is if you do it with others. Whether towards Mars, satellites, or space missions, or towards stars that are increasingly struggling to shine in the sky, the important thing is to start seeking solutions together, even with those who seem geographically or culturally distant.

For decades, we have dreamed of discovering new planets, stars, and astronomical phenomena thousands of light-years away that might host us or suggest “exit strategies”. Today, we are coming to realise that the most important exploration for our future has a much more limited range but asks us to overcome our true limit: the fear of the other who lives on our own planet.

1. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), a state-run Spanish institution associated with NASA: https://cab.inta-csic.es/en/ ↩︎
2. Project dedicated to Martian weather forecasts, developed by CAB: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/weather-report-mars ↩︎
3. To find out about the latest Moldwin Art Prize, see https://www.dc.umich.edu/2023/09/19/moldwin-prize/ ↩︎
4. On the project that inspired the Moldwin Art Prize see Heckel, J., & Heckel, J. (n.d.). Art meets science. https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/336970 ↩︎
5. The Magnetometer Lab is working with inductive magnetometers to develop terrestrial and space magnetometric sensors for use in extreme Earth and space environments. If you want to discover more, please see Magnetometer Laboratory – space. (n.d.). Space – Home for Prof. Mark Moldwin. https://space.engin.umich.edu/magnetometer-laboratory/ ↩︎