Can we terraform mars by using green house gases?

Question

Back in college I took an astronomy class which theorized that mars could be terraformed with giant polluting smoke stacks in conjunction with protected inside plant life and later on hardy outside one.

If this indeed is possible why do some people have a hard time believe that man is contributed to global warming. You add green house gases to the environment, and without some off set or other unforeseen condition the environment should continue to warm

Answer 1

i think the lack of a magnetic field would be a problem.

love the idea tho. i spent many hours wondering how the star trek 'genesis' bomb might work.

Answer 2

First it is not possible.  You formed your premise of faulty science.  Much like the theory of so called "global warming".

Mars has an environment rich in co2, yet the temperatures are colder than here on Earth

Answer 3

If you want to induce a greenhouse effect you will need to use real science, not junk science.

What matters for a greenhouse effect is how opaque the atmosphere is to certain wavelengths of infrared radiaiton.  If you change the opacity of the atmosphere, you change the size of the greenhouse effect.

On the Earth, if we change the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere, but the change in the IR opacity of the atmosphere is so small it's like a drop in the ocean, then the size of the greenhouse effect isn't going to measurably change.

Answer 4

Terraforming Mars would require photosynthesizing plants that produce oxygen. Takes thousands of years.

Answer 5

Isn't the atmosphere of Mars like 99% Co2 to start with ?

With a high temp of -30*, maybe it didn't AL's movie on the green house gas issue.

Answer 6

I agree that we should look at the influx of illegal immigrants to Planet Earth. Sending them to Arakis at least for quarantine, hmm, worth a thought.

Anyway, we might want to apply our scientific (?) minds to keeping Earth Earth-like, because as it stands we need to worry about not just temperature but also having an atmosphere. Also, living in a manmade semi-self-sufficient bubble has been tried, and there were problems. But apparently we're trying again.

Sure, climate change happens on its own. At the same time, humanity is altering the planet more aggressively than any species in recent millenia. Btw, if you want your kids to have a planet, plant [native] trees. Nobody talks about that anymore, though we're decimating forests and science agrees they're the Earth's lungs. While I'm at it, plant native bee-friendly plants, don't use chemicals, and stop using plastic. More on that later.

Answer 7

Along with what Dr. Jello mentioned, the other problem includes the soil composition of Mars. It has high content of peroxides that would kill (burn) any organic material.

Answer 8

When I was a kid I dreamt of colonizing other planets.  Terraforming and living under domes and all that.

Then I thought, my dream will come true and I won't have to go anywhere.    We are terraforming our own planet and eventually I'll have to live under a dome.

You think I'm kidding or making this up?  I wish.

Answer 9

What they are trying to do with the carbon oxides and the plants is to create an oxygen atmosphere.  Plants use carbon oxides to sustain themselves and give off oxygen.  This has almost nothing to do with warming the planet Mars for colonization.

Answer 10

Dude, I've always wanted to terraform Mars into the planet Arrakis!  We simply need to move Al-Qaida & illegal immigrants to the planet, add a simple Shai-Hulud starter kit from your local bait shop and *BOOM*, we are in the money.  I saw several potential Guild Navigators at the Snakes & Arrows Show last Sunday!  Whoohoo what a show!  The weather was a wee bit cold, though.

Arrakis ... Dune ... wasteland of the Empire, and the most valuable planet in the universe. Because it is here — and only here — where spice is found. The spice. Without it there is no commerce in the Empire, there is no civilization. Arrakis ... Dune ... home of the spice, greatest of treasure in the universe. And he who controls it, controls our destiny.

  

— Princess Irulan, Frank Herbert's Dune

Answer 11

Ahhh yes, the shake and bake terra forming method.  This process would work, not because of the types of gas produced, but the quantity.  Mars is cold because it's atmosphere is about .01 bar, Venus hot because of a 100 bar atmosphere.  The Ideal Gas Law tells us that if we increase pressure, temperature will increase.  Another more local demonstration is, Mt Everest is cold, and Death Valley hot.  Black sooty gas would be preferable, because some of the soot would land at the poles and allow some of the solid co2 to sublimate and increase the air density.   The goal would be to get the planet conditioned enough to support liquid water on the surface, initially much water would evaporate, not only increasing air density, but introducing a new, more effective ghg, water vapor.

Answer 12

IM afraid not my brother.... mars is far out there and what we do on earth dosnt effect mars...

Answer 13

No, the 'greenhouse model' is just shorthand for understanding the complex dynamics that take place in the Earth's environment. Mars will not behave like the Earth for two important reasons...Mars does not have a Magnetically active core as does the Earth. And because Mars is much smaller it's lower gravity affects physical properties of water, ie. water's surface tension, freezing point, boiling point.