The geology and history of water on Mars are helpful information for characterizing ancient habitability on the Red Planet. My research investigates the history of ancient rivers on Mars by analyzing the river rocks that were left behind (e.g., Figures a & b). Examining high-resolution satellite images and topography provides key pieces of information, such as the sizes and shapes of the ancient rivers. The dimensions of ancient rivers are then used to estimate the amount of water that once flowed on Mars. Repeated analyses for river rocks of various ages indicate change in river flow through time. Another aspect of my research is the investigation of interesting channels and rivers on Earth (e.g., Figures c & d). Submarine channels form in reduced gravity environments and some rivers in deserts (e.g., Quinn River, NV) form in the near absence of vegetation. These rivers provide opportunities to test flow equations where conditions are analogous to those experienced by ancient Martian rivers. Results from these investigations help improve the accuracy and precision of estimates for ancient river flow on Mars.
Publications
- Jacobsen, R. E. & Burr, D. M. (in revision) Decreasing Paleodischarge in the Aeolis Dorsa Region, Mars, with Confounding Factors Suggested by Morphometry of Terrestrial Analog Channels, Icarus.
- Jacobsen, R.E., and Burr, D.M., (2017) Dichotomies in the fluvial and alluvial fan deposits of the Aeolis Dorsa, Mars: Implications for weathered sediment and paleoclimate: Geosphere, v. 13, no. 6, doi:10.1130/GES01330.1.
- Jacobsen, R. E., & D. M. Burr (2016) Greater contrast in Martian hydrological history from more accurate estimates of paleodischarge, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, 8903–8911, doi:10.1002/2016GL070535.
- Lefort, A., Burr, D. M., Nimmo, F., & Jacobsen, R. E. (2015) Channel slope reversal near the Martian dichotomy boundary: Testing tectonic hypotheses. Geomorphology, 240, 121-136. doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2014.09.028.
- Burr, D. M., R. E. Jacobsen, D. L. Roth, C. B. Phillips, K. L. Mitchell, & D. Viola (2009) Fluvial network analysis on Titan: Evidence for subsurface structures and west-to-east wind flow, southwestern Xanadu, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L22203. doi:10.1029/2009GL040909.
Conference Abstracts
- Jacobsen, R. E. and D. M. Burr (2018) Constraining the relative ages of complexly stratified deposits on another planet: Case study of the Aeolia Dorsa, Mars. 67th GSA Southeastern section, Knoxville, TN, Apr 12-13, Abstract 19-7.
- Jacobsen, R. E., and D. M. Burr (2018) Synthesizing the history of a diverse inverted landscape: Mapping of the Aeolis Dorsa region, Mars. Lunar Planet. Sci. XLIX, The Woodlands, TX, Mar 19-23, Abstract 2057.
- Jacobsen, R. E., & Burr, D. M. (2017) Inverted fluvial deposits and fans in the Atacama Desert, Chile: Diverse morphologies and possible analogs to deposits on Mars. In: Conference Programme and Abstracts Volume, 11th International Conference on Fluvial Sedimentology (Eds. S.M. Hubbard, P.R. Durkin, D.A. Leckie, and C.J. Simpson), p. 230. Calgary, Canada
- Jacobsen, R. E., & Burr, D. M. (2017) New paradigm for empirical relationships in Martian paleohydraulics: insights from analyses of a terrestrial analog channel, Lunar and Planetary Institute Science Conference Abstracts (Vol. 48, p. 1964)
- Jacobsen, R. E., & Burr, D. M. (2016) Morphometric analyses of terrestrial-martian analog channels and point bars: implications for the use of radii of curvature in paleohydraulic analyses. GSA Annual Meeting in Denver CO, Paper No. 185-8
- Jacobsen, R. E. & Burr, D. M. (2016) Diverse meandering fluvial deposits in the Aeolis Dorsa region, Mars: architectural elements, hydrology, and floodplain conditions. International Association of Sedimentology, Marrakech, Morocco, Paper 545
- Jacobsen, R. E. & Burr, D. M. (2016) Sedimentology in plan view: how terrestrial analogs can inform and caution remote interpretations of ancient fluvial and alluvial environments on Mars. Southeastern GSA Meeting in Columbia, SC Paper No. 20-5
- Jacobsen, R. E. & Burr, D. M. (2016) Hydraulic geometry explains inaccuracies in empirical correlation for estimating fluvial discharge on Mars, Lunar and Planetary Institute Science Conference Abstracts (Vol. 47, p. 1011)
- Jacobsen, R. E. & Burr, D. M. (2015) Remote estimates of bankfull discharge for a Martian-terrestrial analog channel suggest the need for new methods of estimating paleodischarge. GSA Annual Meeting in Baltimore, MD, Paper No. 190-9
- Jacobsen, R. E., & Burr, D. M. (2015) Wet-to-dry hydrological transition encapsulated in fluvial stratigraphy of Aeolis Dorsa, Mars, In Lunar and Planetary Institute Science Conference Abstracts (Vol. 46, p. 1011)
- Jacobsen, R. E., & Burr, D. M. (2015) Preliminary analyses of Martian-terrestrial analog rivers to examine the influence of sediment in form-discharge relationships, In Lunar and Planetary Institute Science Conference Abstracts (Vol. 46, p. 1011)
- Jacobsen, R. E., & Burr, D. M. (2014) Using terrestrial meander scroll-bars and form-discharge relationships to estimate paleodischarge, Binghamton Geomorphology Symposium, UT Conference Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
- Jacobsen, R. E., & Burr, D. M. (2014) Investigating regional-scale fluvial history of Aeolis Dorsa through morphometry, mapping, & stratigraphy. Planetary Geologic Mappers Meeting, United States Geological Survey, Flagstaff, Arizona
- Snider, A. M., Jacobsen, R. E., & Burr, D. M. (2014) Measuring past river-flow conditions on Mars: estimates of paleodischarge from the morphology of inverted paleochannels. Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
- Jacobsen, R. E., & Burr, D. M. (2013) Local-scale mapping & stratigraphy reveal fluvial history of Aeolis Dorsa, Mars. Planetary Geologic Mappers Meeting, Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, Washington, D.C.
- Jacobsen, R. E., & Burr, D. M. (2013), Local-Scale Stratigraphy of Inverted Fluvial Features in Aeolis Dorsa, Western Medusae Fossae Formation, Mars. In Lunar and Planetary Institute Science Conference Abstracts (Vol. 44, p. 2165)
- Leonard, E. M., Laabs, B. J., Plummer, M. A., Huss, E., Spiess, V. M., Mackall, B. T., Jacobsen, R. E., & Quirk, B. (2012) Climate along the crest of the US Rocky Mountains during the last glaciation: preliminary insights from numerical modeling of paleoglaciers. In AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts (Vol. 1, p. 2106)
- Cabrol, N. A., Grin, E. A., Haberle, C., Moersch, J. E., Jacobsen, R. E., Sommaruga, R., … & Tambley, C. (2012) Deglaciation and the Evolution of Planetary Lake Habitability. In AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts (Vol. 1, p. 2106)
- Jacobsen, R.E., & Burr, D.M. (2012) Paleo-Fluvial Features in the Western Medusae Fossae Formation, Aeolis and Zephyria Plana, Mars: Elevations and Implications. In Lunar and Planetary Institute Science Conference Abstracts (Vol. 43, p. 2398)
- Cabrol, N. A., E. A. Grin, C. Haberle, J. E. Moersch, R. E. Jacobsen, and the Planetary Lake Lander Team (2012) Planetary Lake Lander: Using Technology relevant to Titan’s Exploration to Investigate the Impact of Deglaciation on Past and Present Planetary Lakes. In Lunar and Planetary Institute Science Conference Abstracts (Vol. 43, p. 2398)
- Jacobsen, R. E., Burr, D. M., Howard, A. D. (2011) Mapping and preliminary paleodischarge estimates of inverted fluvial channels in the Atacama Desert, GSA Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, MN, Paper No. 184-5
- Leonard, E. M, Laabs, B. J., Refsnider, K. A., Plummer, M. A., Jacobsen, R. E., Wollenberg, J. A. (2010) Patterns of LGM precipitation in the U.S. Rocky Mountains: results from regional application of a glacier mass/energy balance and flow model, In AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts (Vol. 1, p. 1696)
- Jacobsen, R. E., Leonard, E. M., Plummer, M. A. (2010) Last glacial maximum climate in the southernmost Rocky Mountains, USA, GSA Annual Meeting in Denver, CO, Paper No. 119-5
- Quane, S., Klos, Z., Jacobsen, R. (2009) In-class quantification of the mentos and diet coke analogue experiment: effects of wind on volcanic isopach patterns, AGU Spring Meeting 2009 abstract #ED73B-06
- Jacobsen, R. E., Roth, D. L., Burr, D. M., Phillips, C. B., Mitchell, K. L. (2008) Identification, mapping, and measurement of Titan fluvial features, In AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts (Vol. 1, p. 1315)