Thermal escape of carbon from the early Martian atmosphere
Abstract
Observations suggest that Mars was wet and warm during the late Noachian, which probably requires a dense CO 2 atmosphere. But would a dense CO 2 early Martian atmosphere have been stable under the strong EUV flux from the young Sun? Here we show that thermal escape of carbon was so efficient during the early Noachian, 4.1 billion years ago (Ga), that a CO 2 ‐dominated Martian atmosphere could not have been maintained, and Mars should have begun its life cold. By the mid to late Noachian, however, the solar EUV flux would have become weak enough to allow a dense CO 2 atmosphere to accumulate. Hence, a sustainable warm and wet period only appeared several hundred million years (Myrs) after Mars formed.
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At higher levels of solar XUV radiation, the Earth's atmosphere is hotter and more expanded, leading to more rapid losses to space.
“At higher levels of solar XUV radiation, the Earth's atmosphere is hotter and more expanded (Tian et al. 2008; Tian et al. 2009; Kuramoto et al. 2013), leading to more rapid losses to space (Lammer et al. 2008; Lichtenegger et al. 2010; Lammer et al. 2018).”
From The young Sun's XUV-activity as a constraint for lower CO2-limits in the Earth's Archean atmosphere (2021) · cites this paper as Tian et al. 2009
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- Authors
- Tian, F., Kasting, J. F., & Solomon, S. C.
- Affiliations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (US)
- Venue
- Geophysical Research Letters
- Publisher
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- Published
- 2009-01
- Volume
- 36
- Issue
- 2
- ISSN
- 0094-8276 (ISSN-L)
- 1944-8007
- OpenAlex
- W1908570882
- Cited by
- 162
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 18
- FWCI
- 7.21
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Geophysical Research Letters (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Planetary Science and Exploration
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Astro and Planetary Science
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
- Keywords
- thermal escape, CO2 atmosphere, Noachian period, extreme ultraviolet radiation, atmospheric escape, early Mars climate, solar luminosity, atmospheric evolution
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