Reappraising the production and transfer of hydrogen atoms from the
middle to the upper atmosphere of Mars at times of elevated water vapor
Abstract
Water escape on Mars has recently undergone a paradigm shift with the
discovery of unexpected seasonal variations in the population of
hydrogen atoms in the exosphere where thermal escape occurs and results
in water lost to space. This discovery led to the hypothesis that,
contradicting the accepted pathway, atomic hydrogen in the exosphere was
not only produced by molecular hydrogen but mostly by high altitude
water vapor. Enhanced presence of water at high altitude during southern
spring and summer, due to atmospheric warming and intensified transport,
favors production of H through photolysis ionized chemistry of water
molecules and thus appears to be the main cause of the observed seasonal
variability in escaping hydrogen. This hypothesis is supported by the
observation of large concentrations of water vapor between 50 km and 150
km during the southern summer solstice and global dust events. Using a
simplified yet representative air parcel transport model, we show that
in addition to the formation of atomic hydrogen from water photolysis
above 80 km, a major fraction of the exospheric hydrogen is formed at
altitudes as low as 60 km and is then directly advected to the upper
atmosphere. Comparing the injection modes of a variety of events (global
dust storm, perihelion periods, regional storm), we conclude that
southern spring/summer controls H production and further ascent into the
upper atmosphere on the long term with direct implication for water
escape.