User:AmidstClouds/Subglacial lakes on Mars/DanqiuChen Peer Review

General info

 * Whose work are you reviewing?

AmidstClouds


 * Link to draft you're reviewing
 * User:AmidstClouds/Subglacial lakes on Mars
 * Link to the current version of the article (if it exists)

Evaluate the drafted changes
This article is very clear in introducing the present research on putative subglacial lakes on Mars. The article's structure follows the lead section, which makes good sense. I like this structure. The article is neutral, providing the present debate on subglacial lakes on Mars, and the potential for life is very impressive.

Some places I may want to know more about when I read the article are:

1) In Features, it says "The team interpreted the bright radar reflections to have high permittivity (the ability of a material to become polarized and store energy in response to an electric field), as consistent with liquid water", the detected high permittivity is referred to water physical property? Is there any possibility of other liquid? Is permittivity the only evidence for the existence of subglacial water? Some more detailed description may be favored, such as where the potential lake locate(the latitude and longitude), how deep it can be, and what chemical property(pH, composition) it can be in the Feature section.

2) Does only perchlorate make it super-cool water? Will other salts like sulfate help lower the water's freezing temperature? (I am not sure if there is related research on this, but I may think about this when I read it)

3) In surface features, are there any present surface features that may support or rule out the existence of subglacial lakes?

4) If subglacial lakes exist, is there any research focus on the mechanism of how these lakes formed?

5) Maybe for the Physical constraints--Geothermal heat and perchlorate section, I think it may make more sense to start with something like "geothermal heating flux models help determine the subglacial water" and perchlorate can improve the geothermal heat flux but still not enough. But this paragraph looks good right now.

6) For Alternative hypotheses, it may be more precise if you can summarize a sub-heading of each paragraph to show these alternative explanations, just like in "Physical constraints"

7) Don't forget to add a link to the terms jarosite and smectite, and maybe "basal reflector" as well.

8) Also, it may be better to add photos taken by MARSIS or SHARAD or figures generated by remote sensing data here or comparable Earth subglacial photos. It can help to understand. For example, if you mention Smectites exist at the edges of SPLD, I feel it will be better to show a photo of SPLD here.