资源环境科技发展态势分析平台

The abundance and distribution of ice on the Moon are still unknown. Here, we examine the connections between geomorphic characteristics and the potential presence of lunar ice in permanently shadowed regions of the Scott‐E crater in the lunar south polar region. We first quantify surface characteristics, such as roughness, based on high‐resolution optical images and topography data and then model spatial variations of water ice stability using a high‐resolution thermal model. We find that the surface roughness in regions where thermally stable surface ice is predicted is significantly lower than in adjacent regions where subsurface ice or no ice is predicted. This correspondence may result from processes such as preferential cold‐trapping in depressions or high albedo areas, or enhanced regolith transport in the ice‐rich regolith.