The Earth's Magnetic Field Enhances Solar Energy Deposition in the Upper Atmosphere

View/ Open
Authors
Maggiolo, R.
Maes, L.
Cessateur, G.
Darrouzet, F.
De Keyser, J.
Gunell, H.
Discipline
Physical sciences
Audience
Scientific
Date
2022Metadata
Show full item recordDescription
The presence of a large-scale planetary magnetic field is thought to be a protective factor for atmospheres, preventing them from being blown off by the solar wind. We focus on one key aspect of atmospheric escape: how does a planetary magnetic fields affect the energy transfer from the Sun to the atmosphere? We estimate the solar wind energy currently dissipated in the Earth's atmosphere using empirical formulas derived from observations. We show that it is significantly higher than the energy dissipated in the atmosphere of a hypothetical unmagnetized Earth. Consequently, we conclude that the Earth's magnetic field enhances the solar energy dissipation in the Earth's atmosphere and that, contrary to the old paradigm, an intrinsic magnetic field does not necessarily reduces atmospheric loss.
Citation
Maggiolo, R.; Maes, L.; Cessateur, G.; Darrouzet, F.; De Keyser, J.; Gunell, H. (2022). The Earth's Magnetic Field Enhances Solar Energy Deposition in the Upper Atmosphere. , Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, Vol. 127, Issue 12, e2022JA030899, DOI: 10.1029/2022JA030899.Identifiers
scopus:
Type
Article
Peer-Review
Yes
Language
eng