harsh winds

[mellowtigger]

According to my calculations, which I already know are too simplistic, the Earth can gravitationally hold onto all of its atmosphere except for hydrogen (atomic or molecular). By the same calculations, Mars can retain all but hydrogen and helium. But then where is the atmosphere on Mars?  NASA has a new report that the solar wind (and the weird magnetosphere on Mars) may be to blame.

Earth is not a single magnetic dipole.  Instead, our planet has a series of monopoles.  They all happen to generally align well so we have a strong overall "uniform" magnetic shield around our planet.  Mars is not so lucky.  Its monopoles are apparently weaker and more distributed, so they stand out as little umbrella shields over their regional area, mostly in the southern hemisphere.  Where these mushroom bubbles spring out, general turbulence and also magnetic reconnection with the solar wind can rip out whole chunks of atmosphere at once.

Like little spiders sending out their spinner web to catch the wind and fly aloft, so does Mars lose whole pockets of air to the solar wind stream inside magnetic "balloons".

Kinda sad, in a way.  So terraforming Mars will not be as easy as I had hoped.  It will not simply be a matter of reintroducing the appropriate molecules (as in the movie Total Recall).  The planetary magnetic field would need to be altered first.

Comments

[anziulewicz.livejournal.com]

Isn't this fascinating? I read about this, I think on http://www.badastronomy.com. It just makes the whole Universe curiouser and curiouser. The idea that something as innocuous as a magnetic field could have such a huge impact on a planet's atmosphere is just rather astonishing.

I'm currently reading Neil DeGrasse Tyson's Death By Black Hole. Despite the lurid title, it's a pretty comprehensive overview of astronomy, physics, and the scientific method. Highly recommended.

[mellowtigger]

I didn't recognize the name, but I do recognize his face. He is a good speaker.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=h1iJXOUMJpg

[dodecadragon.livejournal.com]

He had a guest appearance last week on Stargate: Atlantis, along with Bill Nye and others.

[mellowtigger]

Yes, that was sort of a fun episode. It's nice when they give airtime to some actual geeks. :)