A new study led by Boston University and published in Science Advances reveals that giant waves in Mars’ upper atmosphere are helping to sweep its atmosphere into space. Researchers analyzed data from the MAVEN and Tianwen-1 missions: Tianwen-1 monitored the incoming solar wind, while MAVEN tracked atmospheric ions escaping near the planet. By combining these observations, they found that the solar wind creates Kelvin-Helmholtz waves at the boundary of the atmosphere. These waves generate large plasma clouds that facilitate the «bulk escape» of atmospheric ions.
The process isn’t uniform: it’s mainly observed on one side of Mars, depending on the direction of the solar wind’s electric field. The findings directly link these waves to increased atmospheric loss, which may have played a major role in drying out the once potentially habitable planet. Future research will focus on identifying the conditions that favor the formation and growth of these waves and determining their overall contribution to atmospheric escape.
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