Lunar North Polar Cold Traps Based on Diurnally and Seasonally Varying Temperatures

Abstract

Lunar cold traps are defined by extremely low sublimation rates, such that water ice could have accumulated in them. Here time-averaged sublimation rates are calculated for the north polar region of the Moon based on over 14 years of Diviner surface temperature measurements. Data for each spatial pixel are binned according to subsolar (diurnal) and ecliptic (seasonal) longitude. The cold trap area poleward of 80°N is about 32% larger when defined by a time-average sublimation rate instead of by peak temperature. Apparently sunlit cold traps are identified, e.g., in Lenard Crater, where modeling of direct illumination reveals that the Sun briefly rises above the horizon each Draconic year. The true cold trap area is smaller than what can be determined from Diviner data. Also presented are north polar maps for the potential sublimation rate of relic buried ice and for subsurface cold trapping.

Keywords

• The Moon
• Lunar science
• Lunar surface
• Surface ices