Physics
Scientific paper
Sep 1977
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1977jgr....82.4379m&link_type=abstract
Journal of Geophysical Research, vol. 82, Sept. 30, 1977, p. 4379-4388.
Physics
53
Atmospheric Chemistry, Mars Atmosphere, Photochemical Reactions, Planetary Evolution, Viking Mars Program, Chemical Evolution, Degassing, Ionospheric Composition, Planetary Ionospheres, Reaction Kinetics, Remote Sensors, Thermosphere, Upper Atmosphere
Scientific paper
Viking measurements of the upper atmosphere of Mars have indicated thermospheric temperatures below 200 K, colder than those originally calculated by remote sensing experiments. It is suggested that dynamical coupling of the upper and lower regions of the Martian atmosphere may account for the variability in thermospheric temperature. The absorption of extreme ultraviolet solar radiation may account for observed ionospheric features, and may provide a source of fast N and O atoms escaping the planet's gravitational field. Measurements of the isotopic composition of O and N may be used to place constraints on models of the evolution of the Martian atmosphere. It is suggested that previous abundance of N2 may have exceeded that of CO2 in the present atmosphere, and that large sources of H2O may exist on the planet. The present degassing rate for nitrogen is felt to be less than the time-averaged degassing rate by at least a factor of 20.
Kong T. Y.
McElroy Michael B.
Yung Yuk L.
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