Giant waves are sweeping Mars’ atmosphere into space
A new study using data from MAVEN and Tianwen-1 missions reveals that solar winds create Kelvin-Helmholtz waves in Mars' upper atmosphere. These waves act like wind over water, causing atmospheric particles to be stripped away into space.
Why it matters
Understanding how Mars loses its atmosphere provides critical insights into the planet's history and the long-term effects of solar radiation on planetary habitability.
The Sun continuously sends a fast stream of charged particles through space, a phenomenon known as the solar wind. Earth is largely protected from this flow by its global magnetic field, but Mars has no comparable shield. This leaves the planet's upper atmosphere exposed, allowing the solar wind to knock atmospheric particles away and carry them into space.
A new study led by Boston University and published in Science Advances suggests that this atmospheric loss can resemble wind moving across water. On Earth, wind passing over a body of water can create rolling waves and swirling vortices. At Mars, the solar wind appears to produce a similar effect by "stirring" the outer boundary of the upper atmosphere.
This interaction generates enormous boundary waves called Kelvin-Helmholtz waves.
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