An investigation of solar wind effects on the evolution of the Martian atmosphere

Details An investigation of solar wind effects on the evolution of the Martian atmosphere An investigation of solar wind effects on the evolution of the Martian atmosphere

Nov 1994

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1994ucla.reptq....l&link_type=abstract

Final Report, 1 Dec. 1990 - 31 May 1994 California Univ., Los Angeles, CA.

Physics

Mars Atmosphere, Photochemical Reactions, Planetary Evolution, Solar Planetary Interactions, Solar Wind, Escape Velocity, Molecular Ions, Oxygen, Pioneer Venus 1 Spacecraft, Recombination Reactions, Scavenging, Sputtering, Venus Atmosphere

Scientific paper

This investigation concentrated on the question of how atmosphere escape, related to both photochemistry and the Mars solar wind interaction, may have affected the evolution of Mars' atmosphere over time. The principal investigator and postdoctoral researcher adopted the premise that contemporary escape processes have dominated the losses to space over the past 3.5 billion years, but that the associated loss rates have been modified by solar evolution. A model was constructed for the contemporary escape scenario based on knowledge gained from both Venus in-situ measurements from Pioneer Venus Orbiter and Mars measurements from Phobos-2. Venus provided a valuable second example of a weakly magnetized planet having a similar solar wind interaction where we have more knowledge from observations. The model included photochemical losses from recombining ionospheric molecular ions, scavenging Martian upper atmosphere ('pickup') ions by the solar wind, and sputtering of the atmosphere by reentering pickup ions. The existence of the latter mechanism was realized during the course of the supported investigation, and is now thought by Jakosky and Pepin to explain some of the Martian noble gas isotope ratios.

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