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- Title
On atmospheric loss of oxygen ions from earth through magnetospheric processes.
- Authors
Seki, K; Elphic, R C; Hirahara, M; Terasawa, T; Mukai, T
- Abstract
In Earth's environment, the observed polar outflow rate for O(+) ions, the main source of oxygen above gravitational escape energy, corresponds to the loss of approximately 18% of the present-day atmospheric oxygen over 3 billion years. However, part of this apparent loss can actually be returned to the atmosphere. Examining loss rates of four escape routes with high-altitude spacecraft observations, we show that the total oxygen loss rate inferred from current knowledge is about one order of magnitude smaller than the polar O(+) outflow rate. This disagreement suggests that there may be a substantial return flux from the magnetosphere to the low-latitude ionosphere. Then the net oxygen loss over 3 billion years drops to approximately 2% of the current atmospheric oxygen content.
- Publication
Science (New York, N.Y.), 2001, Vol 291, Issue 5510, p1939
- ISSN
0036-8075
- Publication type
Journal Article
- DOI
10.1126/science.1058913