A subtle electric field has been identified in Earth’s atmosphere, validating a long-held scientific theory. This ambipolar electric field, measured at a modest 0.55 volts, may significantly influence the evolution of Earth’s atmosphere and its capacity to sustain life, as indicated by recent research.
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Glyn Collinson, an atmospheric scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, spearheaded the Endurance rocket mission, which successfully detected this field in May 2022 over Svalbard, Norway. Collinson referred to this field as a “planetary-energy field,” which had previously evaded scientific detection.
The existence of this field is believed to account for a phenomenon known as the polar wind, observed many years ago. When sunlight interacts with atoms in the upper atmosphere, it can liberate negatively charged electrons, allowing them to drift into space, while the heavier, positively charged oxygen ions remain behind.
To maintain electrical neutrality in the atmosphere, a faint electric field emerges, linking these particles and preventing the escape of electrons. This weak field has been demonstrated to supply energy to lighter ions, such as hydrogen, facilitating their release from Earth’s gravitational pull and contributing to the polar wind. The implications of this ambipolar electric field for planetary habitability are noteworthy.
Scientists have discovered a new type of electromagnetic wave, called a “specularly reflected whistler,” which carries lightning energy from low latitudes to Earth’s magnetosphere. Previously, it was thought that such energy was trapped in the ionosphere.
This discovery, based… pic.twitter.com/hQ1ukTDjYy
— Erika (@ExploreCosmos_) August 18, 2024
David Brain, a planetary scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder, emphasized that understanding the variations of such fields across different planets could provide insights into why Earth has remained habitable, in contrast to Mars and Venus.
While both Mars and Venus possess electric fields, the lack of a global magnetic field on those planets has permitted a greater loss of their atmospheres to space, potentially leading to significant climatic changes.
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