A small electric field has detected in Earth’s atmosphere, confirming a theory that scientists have held for decades. This ambipolar electric field, though weak at just 0.55 volts, can play a vital role in shaping Earth’s atmospheric evolution and its ability to support life, according to recent findings.
Glyn Collinson, an atmospheric scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, led the Endurance rocket mission, which successfully measure this field in May 2022 above Svalbard, Norway.
Collinson has describe this field as a “planetary-energy field” that had elude scientific measurement until now.
The presence of this field is thought to explain a phenomenon observe decades ago, the polar wind.
When sunlight strikes atoms in the upper atmosphere, it can cause negatively charge electrons to break free and drift into space, while the heavier, positively charge oxygen ions remain.
To maintain an electrically neutral atmosphere, a faint electric field forms, tying these particles together and preventing electrons from escaping.
This weak field has shown to provide energy to lighter ions, such as hydrogen, enabling them to break free from Earth’s gravity and contribute to the polar wind.
This ambipolar electric field can have implications for planetary habitability.
David Brain, a planetary scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder, said that understanding how such fields vary across planets can shed light on why Earth has remain habitable compare to planets like Mars and Venus.
As both Mars and Venus have electric fields, the absence of a global magnetic field on those planets allow more of their atmospheres to escape into space, potentially altering their climates significantly.
NASA has recently approve a follow-up mission with a rocket named Resolute, expect to launch soon.
Collinson believes that continue investigation into planetary electric fields may help answer fundamental questions about why Earth supports life while other planets do not.
