Earth may share one problem with its nearest planetary neighbour - global warming - according to a new study.

Scientists focused on Earth's climate of late have charted how greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide cause more heat to be trapped in our atmosphere. But Mars is heating up for an entirely different reason: dust storms.

Lori Fenton at the Carl Sagan Center led a study published in the recent issue of Nature. Comparing a map of Mars from 1976-1978 provided by the Viking's Infrared Thermal Mapper with a 1999-2000 map provided by the Mars Global Surveyor's Thermal Emission Spectrometer, the team noticed the Red Planet was changing colour.

Its dust covered surface used be a light red, but dust storms have revealed more of the dark red bedrock in the last couple of decades.