If you mean "A combination of radar and thermal approaches to search for methane clathrate in the Martian subsurface," I must admit I do not see a direct connection. Does your model predict episodic methane release and its rapid consumption? The MSL data (plus previous data) clearly indicates both an episodic source and something to consume it fast, orders of magnitude faster than the previous (300 yr) residence times.

Let me turn this around - do you think it does? And, if so, why?

Marshall, yes, our model predicts episodic methane releases (based on terrestrial analogs). In the language of mathematics, you can see it from the system of nonlinear partial differential equations: Stefan-like problem for any number of emerging/vanishing phase transitions in CH4 clathrate hydrate with the upper boundary condition (a superposition of temperature waves with different periods penetrating from the surface)  triggering the phase change in CH4*6H20 and, therefore, the emission of methane.

And, please, remember that our model was the 1st numerical model applied to Mars that predicted episodic methane releases (based on terrestrial analogs). Actually, our article was in print before the  ground-based  (by 2 independent groups) and the Mars Express discoveries of CH4 on Mars.

I was in 335

Natalia,

I don''t know the details of your model. May be you will send a copy with details. For my expierence, the terrestrial analogs can provide something different from Mars conditions. Permafrost  in water vapor - water - ice (water ice) system (Earth) isn't the perfect analog of Mars because the methane cycle in the Earth permafrost regions include few processes absent on Mars

Dear Natalia,

Below, I cite a paragraph from the paper by V.E. Ostrovskii and E.A. Kadyshevich, “Generalized hypothesis of the origin of the living-matter simplest elements, transformation of the Archean atmosphere, and the formation of methane-hydrate deposits”, Physics-Uspekhi, 50 (2) 175-196 (2007) (English version of the Russian journal “Uspekhi Fizicheskikh Nauk, 177 (2007) 183-206), and, today, we confirm our opinion.

“Only Mars of all the planets close to Earth may contain methane hydrate in its crust formed from CO2 and hydrogen in the past (all residual hydrogen later evaporated from Mars's atmosphere). The presence of small amounts of nitrogen and oxygen in the atmosphere of this planet is probably due to reactions similar to those described in the preceding section that occurred (and may even continue) in its crust. However, Mars appears to have always been cooler than Earth. Therefore, if such a reaction had indeed occurred in its crust, the subsequent process of complicated chemical transformations from their products to the emergence of the first cellular organisms would have lasted much longer than on Earth; hence, the probability of its interruption at an intermediate stage was significantly higher. In our opinion, any primitive life that may possibly exist on Mars should not be regarded as traces of a highly organized past life; it simply did not reach the level of life that thrives on Earth.”

You can see that you are not right when thinking that you are the first who predicted the possibility of the methane-hydrate occurrence on Mars. In our paper, it was done in 2007. Meanwhile, even if methane-hydrate would really occur on Mars, this wouldn’t mean that any living entities exist there. I think that the main problem is even not in the occurrence of liquid water on the Mars surface, because, according to our LOH-Theory, living matter can originate in subsurface layers by using solid methane-hydrate, which could then be liquated by the heat of the DNA formation process. But, as we think, there are two important problems: the necessity of the occurrence of phosphates and the necessity of a rather high temperature in the methane-hydrate deposits and in their environments. The fulfillment of these two conditions is under question, at least, in the context of our present knowledges.

Dear Victor, as you've stated , your paper was published in 2007. Actually, our paper was in print  in 2003 before the ground-based (by 2 independent groups) and the Mars Express discoveries of CH4 on Mars. And our paper was published at the beginning of 2004.

Dear Victor, in addition, our physical and mathematical models were  partially developed (as you know this is needed in any proposal 10 pages long) in my scientific proposals to NASA (all documented) at the beginning of the 90s, when nobody was even talking about CH4 on Mars.

Dear Pavel,  please download our article (2004) right from the Research Gate. It's there!

Dear Victor, yes, I did notice your work at Symposium at IKI. Very interesting!

Dear Natalia, I failed lo load your papers of 2001 and 2004 years in the question from the RG. Please, send them to me by e-mail. After that, I may take a part in the discussion. Thank you in advance!

Dear Natalia,

It is not important that we predicted the possibility of the methane-hydrate occurrence on Mars (may be, you made this before us, but it is clear that methane-hydrate occurs everywhere where methane and water coexist under rather low temperatures); it is important that Elena Kadyshevich and I were the first to state that the primary living matter originated within methane-hydrate deposits from CH4 and NO3- and PO4-ions, because this is the unique way for living matter origination over the Universe, and it is important that we stated that no highly-developed living matter exists and existed formerly on Mars. If you would send me your e-mail address, I could send you our fresh paper published in J. Molec. Evolution and dedicated to the mechanism of this fundamental process.

Dear Natalia;

I must admit that there is something I am still not getting here. Your paper is talking about things happening over kiloyears. What, in your model, would drive variations over a period of months? 

Dear Natalia, 

I would be grateful if you could send me your paper titled "Time machine. Ancient Life..." because, like Vladimir, I am on another side of the Ocean. 

Dear  Victor, what is your email?

Dear Natalia, 

I discovered that your paper titled "Time machine..." is open access. I downloaded and read it with interest. It turned out that I knew about this work but the details are of interest for me. Thank you for your e-mail address. I will send you the paper and, may  be, you will find a moment to look it through.  

Thank you for your kind greetings.

Best wishes for a pleasant and  successful 2015. 

Victor

Dear Natalia,

I would be grateful if you could inform me, whether you receive my and E. Kadyshevich paper titled: “Life origination hydrate theory (LOH-Theory) and the explanation…”.

Regards.

Victor, some reason I did not yet get it.

OK? 

Got you paper, Thank you very much.

Thank you very much for the discussion.

We feel it's a good model predicting  the origin and the subsurface source of methane on Mars.

Dear Natalia, 

I am almost sure that methane is on Mars. This is one of the components of our PFO-CFO Theory of Solar System Formation. Moreover, I am almost sure that the methane-hydrate is in the sub-surface layers of Mars. However, when discussing the problem of existence of living matter on Mars, the availability of the 5-valency phosphorus in a rather high percentage is the main problem. Phosphorus is necessary for formation of DNAs. Meanwhile, no information on phosphorus in the surface layers of Mars exists. Our Life Origination Hydrate Theory (LOH-Theory) leads to conclusions that a primitive vegetable life and, may be, a primitive animal life are possible in the sub-surface (!) layers of Mars, but no highly-organized life never was on it. It is very cold planet; it is located rather far from the Sun and it has very small quantity of the inner heat because its density is 3.8 g/cubic cm only and this fact means that its metal content is low. And, I am sorry, I am sure that nowhere else over the Solar System life is possible. All hopes are fruitless; chemistry is a rather solid science.  

Dear Victor, thank you for your remark. So, you think even extant (current) primitive animal life is possible in the subsurface  layers of Mars.  But the the 5-valency phosphorus could be found when drilling deeper than current 5 cm on Mars. What do you think about life in the subsurface of Europa?

Dear Natalia, 

My previous issue contains the answer to your question. The Europa's density is about 3.0. This means that the percentage of metals is rather low. Its surface temperature is about120 K. I see no other possibility for life origination and development than that described by us and no Earth's conferences can help to change this situation. Chemical processes that lead to DNA formation don't proceed below 250-260 K. If any life exists on Europa, it is very deep under its surface and there are no drill to disturb it. Of course, this is at most my opinion, but any attempt to falsify it would be too expensive and hardly promising.