Ion escape from Mars through time : An extrapolation of atmospheric loss based on 10 years of Mars Express measurements

• Solar wind driven atmospheric ion escape has long been hypothesized as a major influence on the evolution of the Martian atmosphere due to the lack of a Martian global dipole magnetic field. We use 10 years (2007-2017) of Mars Express data to quantify the ion escape rate over the full sampled upstream solar wind dynamic pressure, pdyn, and solar photoionizing flux, FXUV, parameter space. The modeled dependence on the upstream parameters indicates a near-linear dependence on FXUV and weak negative correlation with pdyn. Integrating total heavy ion escape back through time, considering the evolution of the upstream parameters and the modeled trends, can only account for an estimated 4.8 ± 1.1 mbar of atmosphere lost as ions since the mid-late Hesperian (3.3 Ga ago). Accounting for the recently reported stability of ion escape through the energetic oxygen ion plume provides an upper estimate of 6 mbar lost. Extending the extrapolation to the late Noachian (3.9 Ga ago) accounts for 6.3 ± 1.9 mbar, and analogously up to 9 mbar, lost through ion escape since. Thus the ion escape trends observed by Mars Express indicate that atmospheric ion escape contributed only a minor role in the evolution of the Martian atmosphere. We also report solar wind control of the cold ion outflow channel, providing a tentative explanation for the low response of the ion escape rate to upstream solar wind.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Fusion, plasma och rymdfysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Fusion, Plasma and Space Physics (hsv//eng)

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