The technical notes that were previously posted here have been removed for improvement and conversion into a scientific paper. Once the final draft is ready it will be posted here, probably in pdf format.

The first draft of the paper "A Mathematical Model of Terraforming Mars" was presented at the recent NASA meeting "The Physics and Biology of Making Mars Habitable." The abstract is posted below.

Martyn J. Fogg and Christopher P. McKay..

If Mars is to support widespread life its environment must first be raised to a temperature similar to that of the Earth. Global warming on Mars will therefore be an essential element in any initial terraforming strategy. To examine this problem, a simple climate model is presented that permits the user to alter the insolation and albedo of Mars and to introduce greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, water vapour, methane, ammonia and perfluorocarbons. The model is based on the grey greenhouse approximation with the grey opacities of greenhouse gases calculated from functions derived from the results of previous detailed climate models. The exchange of carbon dioxide between the atmosphere, polar caps and regolith is also included along with a discussion of the time-scale required for engineered climate changes to take effect.

Exploration of the model’s results suggests that perfluoro gases may be one of the most efficient climate-forcing tools, and that by combining their warming effect with those of other warming methods, hospitable surface temperatures can be achieved. The dense ~ 1 bar CO₂ atmospheres studied in previous terraforming models are considered unlikely and shown not to be a necessity for planetary habitability.