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How Antarctica’s meteorites contribute to UAE's space mission success

Scientists in the country highlight why it is the ‘beating heart of our planet’

About 60 per cent of meteorites discovered on Earth are found in Antarctica and recovering these is essential for the UAE astronaut mission.

Dr Aisha Al Suwaidi, associate professor, Earth Science at Khalifa University said, “We know that many of the periglacial (regions close to glacial regions) and glacial landforms that we see in Antarctica are analogous to what we expect to find in places like Mars. So, as we think about human exploration of Mars, and putting the first human on Mars, we need to be able to access environments that are more representative of what we would expect to find on Mars. That is going to be really critical in us interpreting that landscape better.”

She added, “A large proportion of meteorites on Earth, about 60 per cent or more meteorites collected on Earth are maybe found in Antarctica. We need scientists, and a larger collection of meteorites, and more work needs to be done in Antarctica to recover these meteorites. This is really relevant to the UAE astronaut mission.”

Why are so many meteorites found at the South Pole?

Antarctica has been a crucial site for scientists seeking meteorites, with more than 60 per cent of Earth’s 80,000 discovered meteorites found on its icy terrain.

The dark rocks stand out against the white ice, making them easier to locate. However, as climate change accelerates, this once-reliable method of finding space rocks is becoming less effective.

A study published in Nature Climate Change reveals that approximately 5,000 meteorites are becoming unreachable each year. By 2050, 24 per cent of these meteorites could be lost, and under a high-emissions scenario, this figure could soar to 76 per cent by 2100.

Antarctica and Mars share similarities

Meanwhile, Al Suwaidi also highlighted that the cold, arid conditions of Mars especially its glacial landforms, offer strong parallels to environments on Earth, like the dry valleys in Antarctica.

“Mars is a relatively cold planet, and we see a lot of what we call glacial landforms. These are landforms which were formed by the presence of significant ice mass. People who ski would have probably seen glacial landforms.”

Glacial landforms are features created by the movement of glaciers over the Earth’s surface. As glaciers advance and retreat, they shape the landscape through processes like erosion, deposition, and freeze-thaw cycles.

“In order for us to understand the landforms in extreme climates like Mars, we really have to think about somewhere like Antarctica, and things called dry valleys in Antarctica. The dry valleys contain a lot of information about glacial processes, which are very similar to what we see on Mars. So, if we have ambitions to send someone to Mars, we need to be able to put them in an environment that is analogous to Mars to see the geomorphic features which mean features on the Earth that are similar to what’s on Mars,” added Al Suwaidi.

Khalifa University’s instrument at the South Pole

Notably, in 2022, scientists and researchers from Khalifa University of Science and Technology’s Environmental and Geophysical Sciences (ENGEOS) laboratory and the Earth Science department deployed a specialized instrument called the Snow Ice Mass Balance (SIMBA) to study ice in Antarctica.

Al Suwaidi emphasised that the ice cores and geological formations of Antarctica also offer an extraordinary record of Earth’s history, providing valuable insights into past environmental changes.

“Antarctica, in many ways, is the ‘beating heart of our planet’ in terms of ocean pathways and circulation. It holds a remarkable ‘climate history’ which I think we can learn a lot from.” The ice there is vital for regulating the Earth’s climate. It reflects solar heat, offers a habitat for microscopic plants that absorb carbon, manages global sea levels, and produces cold, salty water that drives ocean currents worldwide.

“Therefore, to comprehend the impacts of climate change, we must examine past climates, monitor current conditions, and predict future developments,” she added.

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