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originally posted by: gabe71886
Hello ATS, I have to say this is a very interesting topic. So, say that we decide to terraform mars? And we start producing an atmosphere. technically wouldn't that be counterintuitive seeing that Mars lacks a magnetic field?
originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: JadeStar
Also we know that Mars once looked similar to that picture because there a mountain of evidence for ancient seas, rivers, bays, lakes, etc in the form of geology.
But just as readily could have been caused by rivers of liquid methane, ammonia and CO2 flowing out from the heat of a huge impacting meteorite.
Same evidence of "river channels" exists on the moon.
Sure, dry river beds and sediment layers, but rivers of what?
Additionally liquid methane and ammonia would not exist in a liquid form for long under the temperature where Mars exists.
When groundwater flows through porous rocks, hematite spheres emerge from a chemical reaction causing iron minerals to precipitate into tiny spherules.
The theory suggested that water flowed on Mars in ancient eons.
article
originally posted by: gabe71886
Hello ATS, I have to say this is a very interesting topic. So, say that we decide to terraform mars? And we start producing an atmosphere. technically wouldn't that be counterintuitive seeing that Mars lacks a magnetic field?
originally posted by: JadeStar
Not really.
The thing about Mars's atmosphere being lost due to the lack of a magnetic field is often simplified way too much.
The Sun more magnetically active at that time. It was spinning faster, creating a more powerful magnetic field that barraged the Mars surface with charged particles and UV radiation that was 200 times stronger than it is today. That played a huge role in stripping Mars of it's atmosphere. The lack of a magnetic field made Mars vulnerable but a more active Sun is what really did the damage.
The Sun as it is today is not nearly as active as it was then.
In addition Mars started out with a thicker atmosphere than it had, it could have weathered that early magnetically active period a lot better and would be doing just fine right now. It would still be losing an atmosphere but it would not have lost most of it.
As I stated before, Mars, Earth and Venus are all losing their atmosphere today at about the same rate.
originally posted by: gabe71886
originally posted by: gabe71886
Hello ATS, I have to say this is a very interesting topic. So, say that we decide to terraform mars? And we start producing an atmosphere. technically wouldn't that be counterintuitive seeing that Mars lacks a magnetic field?
originally posted by: JadeStar
Not really.
The thing about Mars's atmosphere being lost due to the lack of a magnetic field is often simplified way too much.
The Sun more magnetically active at that time. It was spinning faster, creating a more powerful magnetic field that barraged the Mars surface with charged particles and UV radiation that was 200 times stronger than it is today. That played a huge role in stripping Mars of it's atmosphere. The lack of a magnetic field made Mars vulnerable but a more active Sun is what really did the damage.
The Sun as it is today is not nearly as active as it was then.
In addition Mars started out with a thicker atmosphere than it had, it could have weathered that early magnetically active period a lot better and would be doing just fine right now. It would still be losing an atmosphere but it would not have lost most of it.
As I stated before, Mars, Earth and Venus are all losing their atmosphere today at about the same rate.
Ok, however, your still not considering the fact that Mars haves no magnetic field. As you stated "Mars, Earth, and Venus are all losing their atmosphere today at about the same rate." Where's your proof of this? I ask because, considering that Mars does not have a magnetic field, technically, it would shed its atmosphere at a faster rate than Earth. Also, Venus really doesn't have a magnetic field, or have a dynamo at its core to produce one ( a dynamo requires three things: a conducting liquid, rotation, and convection).
Our nearest planetary neighbors, Mars and Venus, have no oceans or lakes or rivers. Some researchers have speculated that they were blown dry by the solar wind, and that our Earth escaped this fate because its strong magnetic field deflects the wind. However, a debate has arisen over whether a magnetic field is any kind of shield at all.
The controversy stems from recent observations that show Mars and Venus are losing oxygen ions from their atmospheres into space at about the same rate as Earth. This came as something of a surprise, since only Earth has a strong dipolar magnetic field that can prevent solar wind particles from slamming into the upper atmosphere and directly stripping away ions.