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Earth Losing Atmosphere Faster than Venus, Mars

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cosmobc
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 10:19 am


"Researchers were stunned to discover recently that Earth is losing more of its atmosphere than Venus and Mars, which have negligible magnetic fields."

Read more: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/06/02/solar-wind-atmosphere.html

What do you think?
PostPosted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 2:55 pm


5×10 25 holy ********! This is incredible! the one thing we thought we knew for sure that magnetic field was doing (protecting the atmosphere) is bullshit. Venus ,a planet with a thick atmosphere and no magnetic field is losing its atmosphere at a rate less than that off the earth

M u s t a n g
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cosmobc
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 6:10 pm


M u s t a n g
5×10 25 holy ********! This is incredible! the one thing we thought we knew for sure that magnetic field was doing (protecting the atmosphere) is bullshit. Venus ,a planet with a thick atmosphere and no magnetic field is losing its atmosphere at a rate less than that off the earth


Yeah! and even Mars with a much lower gravity (so the escape velocity is also much lower, and easier for air molecules to achieve) is loosing it's atmosphere on a much slower rate than the Earth!
PostPosted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 12:17 pm


cosmobc
M u s t a n g
5×10 25 holy ********! This is incredible! the one thing we thought we knew for sure that magnetic field was doing (protecting the atmosphere) is bullshit. Venus ,a planet with a thick atmosphere and no magnetic field is losing its atmosphere at a rate less than that off the earth


Yeah! and even Mars with a much lower gravity (so the escape velocity is also much lower, and easier for air molecules to achieve) is loosing it's atmosphere on a much slower rate than the Earth!
that might be because its atmosphere is all ready thin on Mars so its losing less molecules, that's just my guess, but Venus has an atmosphere 1000 times denser than that of earth's so for us to be losing more atmosphere and losing it faster than Venus. Venus has about the same gravity, no magnetic field, an atmosphere 1000 times as thick maybe that thickness has an effect on the rate at which it loses molecules. I'm only speculating but in this case the two things that set earth a part from both Venus and Mars is our atmospheric density, and our magnetic field. And we should factor in temperature too. the warmer a molecules can move faster and achieve escape velocity needed to escape the gravity. Mars is cold with thin atmosphere and the lowest gravity out of the three. Venus is hot, has about the same gravity as earth but maybe the thickness is some how helping to trap molecules maybe cooler slower moving molecules higher up in the clouds are slowing stuff down.. Is it possible that in some places of our magnetic field contribute to us loosing atmosphere.

Quote:
Earth's magnetic field interacts with the solar wind, drawing out energy that gets funneled into the planet's atmosphere along its magnetic field lines.

"The wind has to flow around this large magnetic obstacle in its path," Russell said. "The two are not friction-free."

In addition to triggering aurorae, the process causes Earth's atmosphere to heat up to the point where atmospheric gases can escape along the field lines, where they are then picked up by the solar wind.


So then why did Mars really lose its atmosphere? I was always told it was because Mars lost its magnetic field.

M u s t a n g
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cosmobc
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 2:06 pm


Why Mars has lost its atmosphere is still a mystery I admit...

but in the article they said that the Earth is loosing its atmosphere faster than Mars or Venus, and they meant in percentage (if I understood well). So basically Venus can loose much more molecules than the Earth, but in percentage the Earth is loosing way more, because Venus has an atmosphere 93 times denser than the Earth (not a 1000 times denser razz --> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus#Atmosphere_and_climate )
PostPosted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 3:28 pm


cosmobc
Why Mars has lost its atmosphere is still a mystery I admit...

but in the article they said that the Earth is loosing its atmosphere faster than Mars or Venus, and they meant in percentage (if I understood well). So basically Venus can loose much more molecules than the Earth, but in percentage the Earth is loosing way more, because Venus has an atmosphere 93 times denser than the Earth (not a 1000 times denser razz --> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus#Atmosphere_and_climate )

((I wonder what made me think 1000, I'll go back and read my text book I'm mixing up my numbers again XD))
I see, Ha some times when I read something the first time I get excited and read through it too fast haha.
Getting back to Mars though, 2 billion years ago it was similar to early earth and that lasted over a billion years. Maybe its the same reasons we're losing our atmosphere it just happened faster because Mars is smaller and has less gravity. Gases escaped along the field lines like smoke out a chimney but less energy was needed for them to escape because of the lower gravity. From that statement from the article that I quoted
"In addition to triggering aurorae, the process causes Earth's atmosphere to heat up to the point where atmospheric gases can escape along the field lines, where they are then picked up by the solar wind."

I can hardly believe it that our magnetic field actually in a sense helps to erode the atmosphere in those spots because that energy is not just entering at the same concentration that it had been spread out in if its funneled down the magnetic field lines there for its more considerated because its no longer spread out now it needs to enter in through a smaller aria. Because the energy is more focused, the friction creates hotter air in that smaller area than it would have been if it had entered sped out at its regular concentration ((like consternating sun light with a magnifying glass)), Of cores I still feel much safer with our magnetic field than with out XD haha.

M u s t a n g
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cosmobc
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 8:01 pm


Yes, the hotter the gas gets, the faster the molecules move, and the easier they attain escape velocity... all this due to the Earth's magnetic field! how ironic, isn't it?
PostPosted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 9:36 pm


Ironic is an understatement, it's a mind ********! XD

M u s t a n g
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cosmobc
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 3:57 pm


M u s t a n g
Ironic is an understatement, it's a mind ********! XD


lol I totally agree! razz
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