A growing body of evidence supports an ancient Mars having a milder, wetter climate, suggesting that its atmosphere was once more substantial than it is today. The fate of the lost atmosphere and water is a major unanswered question. Is the “lost” water sequestered in the crust at all latitudes, or did much of it escape to space? While available measurements and theoretical studies suggest that a number of atmospheric escape processes are at work today, little is known about their efficacy, including temporal variations driven by the solar cycle and Mars seasons. Selected 3-D simulations are presented and illustrate the coupling between the thermosphere-ionosphere system and the exosphere leading to predictions of the oxygen corona and hot oxygen escape (a major component of atmospheric loss for present day Mars).
Solar Cycle and Seasonal Variability of the Martian Thermosphere-Ionosphere and Associated Impacts upon Atmospheric Escape
Sae Int. J. Aerosp
International Conference On Environmental Systems ; 2009
Sae International Journal of Aerospace ; 4 , 1 ; 227-237
2009-07-12
11 pages
Conference paper
English
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