Citation: | Singh, S., and Singh, D. (2024). Snow and regolith albedo variations using CRISM data at McMurdo crater, Mars. Earth Planet. Phys., 8(2), 338–355. doi: 10.26464/epp2024008 |
The cryosphere component provides the most reliable and insightful indications of any planet’s climate dynamics. Using data from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM), we develop a novel approach to determining the broadband Visible and Near Infrared (VNIR) albedo of the Martian surface. This study focuses on albedo changes in the McMurdo crater, part of Mars’s south polar layer deposits. We compare seasonal and interannual variations of the McMurdo surface albedo before, during, and after the Global Dust Storm (GDS) of Martian Year (MY) 34. As the seasons progressed from spring to summer, the mean albedo in MY 32 and 34 plunged by over 40%, by about 35% in MY 33, and by slightly more than 30% in MY 35. Compared interannually, however,