Role of vertical coupling on the atmospheric escape from Mars

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H03731
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Space and upper atmospheric physics
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: Terada Naoki 東北大学, 理学研究科, 准教授 (70470060)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 関 華奈子 東京大学, 大学院理学系研究科(理学部), 教授 (20345854) ; 藤本 正樹 国立研究開発法人宇宙航空研究開発機構, 宇宙科学研究所, 教授 (30242811) ; 中川 広務 東北大学, 理学研究科, 助教 (30463772)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): KURODA Takeshi 国立研究開発法人情報通信研究機構, ソーシャルイノベーションユニット統合ビッグデータ研究センター, 主任研究員 (40613394) ; YOSHIKAWA Ichiro 東京大学, 大学院新領域創成科学研究科, 教授 (10311169)
• Research Collaborator: Medvedev Alexander S. ; Brain David ; MATSUMOTO Yosuke ; TERADA Kaori
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 磁気圏・電離圏 / 宇宙科学 / 超高層物理学 / 大気現象 / 惑星探査 / 大気重力波 / K-H不安定性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The escape of ionospheric CO2+ from Mars is a key to understand the drastic climate change on ancient Mars and investigated in this study. The effects of momentum transfer from the solar wind on the ionospheric CO2+ escape were evaluated by introducing an entropy-based mixing layer model and by utilizing a multispecies magnetohydrodynamic model of the solar wind interaction with the Martian ionosphere. The effects of gravity waves propagating from the lower and middle atmosphere were also investigated using satellite observations and numerical experiments. We found that gravity waves with a vertical wavelength longer than 200km have large impacts on the mixing ratio and escape rate of CO2 from the Martian upper atmosphere.

Free Research Field

数物系科学