Atmospheric pressure increases the deeper you go & the highest growing plants on Earth have been found at a height of 6 km so how deep a trench would we need on Mars to provide similar air pressure? World’s highest plants discovered growing 6km above sea level
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$\begingroup$ There's basically no O2 in the Martian atmosphere so no matter how deep you dig your trench, you still won't get an Earthlike atmosphere. $\endgroup$– Organic MarbleCommented Dec 2, 2018 at 1:33
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2$\begingroup$ That would be a different question, I'm only asking about air pressure in this instance. $\endgroup$– PelinoreCommented Dec 2, 2018 at 1:35
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$\begingroup$ Then you need to edit your question and make that clear. You just say "conditions". $\endgroup$– Organic MarbleCommented Dec 2, 2018 at 1:36
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5$\begingroup$ Edited to clarify. Both of you play nice. $\endgroup$– Russell BorogoveCommented Dec 2, 2018 at 1:43
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2$\begingroup$ Since the OP is interested in growing plants, he does not need the air pressure. He needs the CO2 partial pressure. One would have to calculate the CO2 partial pressure at 6000m altitude on Earth, and find the equivalent partial pressure depth on Mars. $\endgroup$– dotancohenCommented Dec 2, 2018 at 12:04
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1 Answer
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Mars' atmosphere scale height is, depending on who you ask, 10.8 to 11.1 km.
- Pressure at the bottom of Hellas Planitia: 1.16 kPa
- Earth sea level: 101.3 kPa
- Earth 6km altitude: ~50 kPa.
So we need air pressure to increase by a factor of about 43; natural log of 43 = 3.76 scale heights -- so we need a trench about 41km deep. Start digging!
This gets equivalent air pressure, but there's almost no oxygen. Partial pressure of CO2 on the other hand is about 2400 times higher -- Mars's surface level atmosphere offers more CO2 than Earth as it is.
answered Dec 2, 2018 at 1:46
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3$\begingroup$ "Start digging!" got my shovel, just waiting on my ticket from SpaceX :) $\endgroup$– PelinoreCommented Dec 2, 2018 at 2:08
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1$\begingroup$ And note that at this depth your trench almost certainly collapses in on itself, the rock can't take the load. $\endgroup$ Commented Dec 2, 2018 at 3:16
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2$\begingroup$ @LorenPechtel that depends on how steep the sides are, it has little to do with the depth. $\endgroup$ Commented Dec 2, 2018 at 8:44
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2$\begingroup$ This answers the question asked! At 1.16kPa water boils at around 8C, at 50kPa, it boils at around 83C. Note that humans can tolerate pressures down to 6kPa (for periods short enough to avoid asphyxia) before their eyeballs and lungs are damaged by water boiling. That said, article cited by the OP states that the problem for plants at 6km altitude is not the pressure but rather "drought and frost." These are still going to be problems in a 40km deep trench on Mars. $\endgroup$ Commented Dec 2, 2018 at 8:53
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1$\begingroup$ So what you're saying is that at a depth of over 30 km (ballpark figure of course) the rock at the bottom of our "trench" will begin to flow & well up into the bottom of the trench until it's only 30 km deep again (much like a bucket with a whole in it placed in a 6" deep puddle, you can bale the water in the bucket out into the puddle with a cup all you like but the water level in the bucket will keep returning to 6"). @LorenPechtel $\endgroup$– PelinoreCommented Dec 4, 2018 at 2:37