Abstract
Four hydrogen (H 2 ) lines have been detected in a spectrum of Mars observed with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer. Three of those lines are excited by the solar Lyman β photons. The line intensities correspond to a column H 2 abundance of 1.17 (±0.13) × 10 13 per square centimeter above 140 kilometers on Mars. A photochemical model for the upper atmosphere that simulates the observed H 2 abundance results in an H 2 mixing ratio of 15 ± 5 parts per million in the lower atmosphere. The H 2 and HD mixing ratios agree with photochemical fractionation of D (deuterium) between H 2 O and H 2 . Analysis of D fractionation among a few reservoirs of ice, water vapor, and molecular hydrogen on Mars implies that a global ocean more than 30 meters deep was lost since the end of hydrodynamic escape. Only 4% of the initially accreted water remained on the planet at the end of hydrodynamic escape, and initially Mars could have had even more water (as a proportion of mass) than Earth.
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Dates
Type | When |
---|---|
Created | 23 years, 1 month ago (July 27, 2002, 5:47 a.m.) |
Deposited | 1 year, 7 months ago (Jan. 9, 2024, 5:35 p.m.) |
Indexed | 1 week, 3 days ago (Aug. 19, 2025, 6:06 a.m.) |
Issued | 23 years, 8 months ago (Nov. 30, 2001) |
Published | 23 years, 8 months ago (Nov. 30, 2001) |
Published Print | 23 years, 8 months ago (Nov. 30, 2001) |
@article{Krasnopolsky_2001, title={Detection of Molecular Hydrogen in the Atmosphere of Mars}, volume={294}, ISSN={1095-9203}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1065569}, DOI={10.1126/science.1065569}, number={5548}, journal={Science}, publisher={American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)}, author={Krasnopolsky, Vladimir A. and Feldman, Paul D.}, year={2001}, month=nov, pages={1914–1917} }