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AGU: Geophysical Research Letters

 

Keywords

  • Mars
  • atmospheric escape
  • corotating interaction region

Index Terms

  • Interplanetary Physics: Corotating streams
  • Magnetospheric Physics: Planetary magnetospheres
  • Magnetospheric Physics: Solar wind interactions with unmagnetized bodies
  • Magnetospheric Physics: Solar wind/magnetosphere interactions
  • Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets: Erosion and weathering

Abstract

GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 37, L03107, 5 PP., 2010
doi:10.1029/2009GL041814

Pumping out the atmosphere of Mars through solar wind pressure pulses

N. J. T. Edberg

Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK

Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Uppsala, Sweden

H. Nilsson

Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Kiruna, Sweden

A. O. Williams

Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK

M. Lester

Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK

S. E. Milan

Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK

S. W. H. Cowley

Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK

M. Fränz

Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany

S. Barabash

Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Kiruna, Sweden

Y. Futaana

Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Kiruna, Sweden

We study atmospheric escape from Mars during solar wind pressure pulses. During the solar minimum of 2007–08 we have observed 41 high pressure events, which are predominantly identified as corotating interaction regions (CIR) while a few are coronal mass ejections (CME), in data from the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) upstream of the Earth. 36 of these events are also identified using Mars Express (MEX) data at Mars. We use MEX measurements at Mars to compare the antisunward fluxes of heavy planetary ions during the passage of these pulses to the fluxes during quiet solar wind conditions. The ion fluxes are observed to increase by a factor of ∼2.5, on average. Hence, a third of the total outflow from Mars takes place during ∼15% of the time, when a solar wind pressure pulse impacts on the planet. This can have important consequences for the total time-integrated outflow of plasma from Mars.

Received 17 November 2009; accepted 23 December 2009; published 13 February 2010.

Citation: Edberg, N. J. T., H. Nilsson, A. O. Williams, M. Lester, S. E. Milan, S. W. H. Cowley, M. Fränz, S. Barabash, and Y. Futaana (2010), Pumping out the atmosphere of Mars through solar wind pressure pulses, Geophys. Res. Lett., 37, L03107, doi:10.1029/2009GL041814.

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