Holiday Ayo - Researchers from Warsaw University of Technology, Poland are planning to grow trees on Mars.

If successful, this would be the first tree to grow on Mars. In recent research, it was found that carbon dioxide (CO2) needs to be increased on Mars to support plant growth and increased temperatures on the planet to grow trees.

The conditions needed for plant growth on the Red Planet are not created in the 'tropics' of Mars.

The plan to plant trees on Mars is being led by Robert Olszewski, a professor at Warsaw University of Technology in Poland.

Researchers have studied the surface energy balance on the planet such as diffusive heat exchange between evaporation and condensation of carbon dioxide, heat transport through atmospheric circulation and heat exchange with the subsurface.

"Surprisingly, conditions that allow plant growth did not first occur in the tropics (±25°) but in the Hellas Basin region. Further increases in the greenhouse effect expanded the area suitable for plant growth in the Southern Hemisphere," explains the research paper as quoted from WIONews.

Researchers simulate processes on Mars for tree growth Olszewski and his research team used the Viking Mars lander's temperature and pressure dataset created in the 1970s and simulated various processes on Mars.

"Here, we use a basic model to investigate the greenhouse effect caused by increased CO2 plus artificial greenhouse warming," Olszewski said in a paper presented at the 'Astrobiology and the Future of Life Meeting' held at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, Texas, United States.

They also assessed the total pressure required on Mars, the O2 required, the acceptable high percentage of CO2, the temperature required for tree growth, and the amount of water available.

"The atmospheric conditions existing on Mars today make the existence of life impossible. The requirements for plant growth on Mars have been considered in the context of terraforming and low-pressure greenhouses," said Olszewski.

He said their research emphasized temperature, because this is a fundamental environmental variable that changes during terraforming and controls the CO2 cycle and the formation of liquid water.

"If we focus on temperature, it should be several tens of degrees higher, while diurnal fluctuations should be much lower. For trees to grow, the growing season must last at least 110 sols (Martian days)," said the study.