A recent study published in Science Advances suggests that the loss of Water on mars is directly linked to Solar radiation, offering a new viewpoint on the Martian climate.

For decades, scientists have theorized that Mars was once an aqueous world, abundant with rivers, lakes, and oceans. Evidence of this wetter past remains visible in the planet’s eroded geography and winding valleys.

New research, spearheaded by John Clarke from the Space Physics Center of Boston University and supported by NASA, indicates that Sol played a primary role in the disappearance of Martian water.

The study’s findings are the result of collaboration between the Hubble Space Telescope and the MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) mission.

Solar photodisociation: the process that caused the loss of water on Mars

Hydrogen atoms for being extremely light, they easily escape space.

Photodissociation is the process where solar ultraviolet light breaks down water molecules in the Martian atmosphere, separating them into hydrogen and oxygen.

As explained by The Brighter Side of News, this process has significant consequences: Hydrogen atoms, being extremely light, easily escape into space. Deuterium,a heavier form of hydrogen,escapes at a slower rate,leaving a chemical signature that scientists can track.

Clarke and his team measured the escape rates of these atoms over three Martian years (each equivalent to 687 Earth days), combining observations from MAVEN and Hubble.

this dual approach allowed them to capture seasonal variations in the atmosphere, including periods when emissions become nearly invisible from orbit.

The atmosphere of Mars: key to understand how he lost his water

Contrary to previous beliefs, the atmosphere of Mars is much more active. Variations in the planet’s distance from the sun (up to 40% throughout its orbit) directly influence atmospheric dynamics.

When Mars approaches the sun, solar radiation heats the atmosphere, allowing more water molecules to reach altitudes where they can undergo photodissociation and be expelled into space.

Scientists have also detected bursts of activity perhaps linked to solar storms or chemical changes caused by ultraviolet radiation, which coudl explain the abrupt oscillations in the amount of hydrogen and deuterium released.

Why it is vital to understand the disappearance of water on Mars

Understanding this process can shed light on how planets evolve in habitable zones around other stars. Earth, Venus, and Mars formed in the same region of the Solar System, yet their destinies diverged significantly.

Mars, due to its proximity and initial similarities to earth, serves as an ideal natural laboratory for studying atmospheric and climatic evolution. Clarke’s work is crucial for understanding what happened to its water.