Giant Waves Are Sweeping Mars’ Atmosphere Into Space
Simultaneous observations from NASA’s MAVEN and China’s Tianwen-1 tied boundary waves to plasma clouds that carry atmospheric ions into space.
- A study published on Friday in Science Advances identifies Kelvin-Helmholtz waves as a mechanism driving Mars atmospheric loss, with lead author Chi Zhang of Boston University explaining how the Sun's particles stir the upper atmosphere.
- Unlike Earth, Mars lacks a global magnetic field to shield its upper atmosphere from the Sun's charged particles, which generate enormous boundary waves that sweep atmospheric ions into space.
- Researchers combined simultaneous observations from NASA's MAVEN and China's Tianwen-1, allowing the team to directly link incoming solar wind changes with atmospheric particle escape for the first time.
- These plasma clouds occur unevenly across Mars, concentrating on one side depending on the solar wind's electric field direction, and pack 10 to 100 times more escaping gas than previously known steady channels.
- NASA ESCAPADE will continue investigations as MAVEN concludes operations, while Boston University co-author Chuanfei Dong noted this process could occur on other planets lacking strong magnetic fields, "including some exoplanets.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Giant Plasma Waves May Be Stripping Away Mars’ Atmosphere
Kelvin–Helmholtz waves may help the solar wind strip atmospheric particles from Mars. Mars is continually exposed to a stream of charged particles racing outward from the Sun. Earth’s global magnetic field deflects much of this solar wind, but Mars lacks a comparable shield. The flow can therefore strike the planet’s upper atmosphere directly and gradually [...]
Huge waves of plasma generated by the solar wind are causing the atmosphere of the desert crimson planet to be stripped away.
New Study Reveals How Solar Winds Strip Mars' Atmosphere
A new study reveals that solar winds gradually strip atmospheric particles from Mars, similar to how wind creates waves on water. Researchers used data from NASA's MAVEN and China's Tianwen-1 missions to identify Kelvin-Helmholtz waves as a key mechanism driving this atmospheric escape, explaining how Mars transformed from a potentially habitable planet to its current cold, dry state.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 56% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
