A European Space Agency researcher who analyzed data transmitted by spacecraft passing through the radiation belt, a layer of radiation that extends outward from the Earth's atmosphere and causes one kilogram of plasma to leave the Earth into space every second
A cluster of European Space Agency spacecraft has made it possible to discover another radiation belt around the Earth that until now had only been theoretically predicted
New research has provided the first evidence for the existence of a space wind that was first theoretically proposed over 20 years ago.
By analyzing data transmitted by a cluster of spacecraft (Cluster) of the European Space Agency orbiting the Earth within the radiation belt, he succeeded Yannis Dandors (Iannis Dandouras) to discover the belt known as the plasmaspheric wind. It is so called because of its contribution to the loss of material from the Earth's plasmasphere - a plume-like region that stretches above the Earth's atmosphere. The findings were published yesterday (Tuesday 2/7) in the journal Annales Geophysicae, of the European Geophysical Union. (EGU).
"After careful examination of the data, we found it - a slow but steady wind that releases about 1 kg of plasma every second into the outer magnetosphere. In a day, the mass loss of the earth reaches 90 tons. It was one of the most beautiful surprises I've ever had," says Dandors, who works at the Astrophysics and Planetology Research Institute in Toulouse, France.
The plasmasphere is the region filled with charged particles that make up the inner part of the Earth's magnetosphere, the dominant component of the Earth's magnetic field.
To discover the wind, Dandors analyzed the properties of these charged particles using information collected in the plasmasphere by NASA's Cluster of Spacecraft (known simply as CLUSTER).
He then used filtering techniques to reduce noise sources and examine only the plasma movement in the radial direction of the radiation - either directly to Earth or out into space.
The data showed that there is a 'wind' that blows and carries with it a kilo of material from the plasmasphere out every second at a speed of over 5,000 km/h. The movement of the plasma was recorded all the time, even when the Earth's magnetic field was not disturbed by charged particles coming from the Sun.
Researchers predicted the existence of this space spirit and its properties over 20 years ago. It is the result of the imbalance between several forces controlling the plasma movement. However, the observations were too noisy to know its direction until now.
"The plasma wind is a weak phenomenon, which requires sensitive measurement equipment and precise measurements of the particles in the plasmasphere and the direction in which they move," explains Dandors, who is also the vice president of the Planets and Solar System Division at EGU.
This wind contributes to the loss of material from the upper layer of the Earth's atmosphere and at the same time, is also the source of plasma for the outer magnetosphere above it. Dandors explains: "The plasmonic wind is an important component in the mass balance of the plasmonic, and its consequences on the amount of time required to refill the area after it has been eroded due to disturbances in the magnetic field. Because of the plasmaspheric wind, supplying plasma from the upper atmosphere below this layer to fill the plasmasphere is like pouring material into a container with a hole in the bottom.
The plasmasphere, the most important reservoir of plasma within the magnetosphere plays an important role in managing the dynamics of the Earth's radiation belt. It causes radiation damage to satellites as well as to astronauts crossing it. The plasmonic material is also responsible for causing a delay in the propagation of the GPS signals passing through it.
"Understanding the variety of sources and mechanisms of plasma loss, and their dependence on geomagnetic activity conditions, is essential for understanding the dynamics of the magnetosphere as well as for understanding the physical mechanisms of some of the 'space weather' phenomena," Dandors says.
to the notice of the researchers
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Even a relatively small mass change can greatly affect the existence of life on the surface of the globe.
for example:
If 90 tons of greenhouse gas were emitted every day, then what would happen to the greenhouse effect?
What's more, the rate of material loss balances with the rate of material accumulation...
The Earth is flooded every moment with space dust, space gas and meteors that wash the Earth all the time.
And that's without talking about the radiation that washes over the Earth non-stop...
Now go tell it 🙂
Icha
Too bad you are so lazy...the weight of the earth is 6×10^21 tons. Divide by 30000 and you get... 2×10^17 years. The age of the universe is 1.4×10^10. Still worried? 🙂
In this context, it should be said that the atmosphere loses a daily amount of air that is swept away from the earth. But material that is released from the oceans and the earth, compensates.
By the way, there is an air trail that stretches in the opposite direction to the traffic - very sparse but present. Stanislav Lem mentions him in his 'Eden'.
Abby, thanks for the interesting article. But, as we know - "the one who starts a mitzvah, they say to him - finished!"
save us! Stress is killing us. What does this phenomenon mean? Although the plasmonic wind helps to fill the void in the magnetosphere, but at someone's expense. What will be the result over time of the loss of the earth's mass (90 tons per day, 30 thousand tons per year), and at what time constants will this result be "felt"?
What is the meaning of losing 1 kg every minute or second (in the subsection it is every minute and in the article it is every second..)?
Is there a connection between the new belt and Van Allen's charged particles?
It is a shame that the researchers do not indicate where the new belt is in relation to the Van Allen belts
Does the loss of material from the plasmasphere mean that the Earth is losing something that will not return, that is disappearing until it is gone? And when it's over what will happen? And when will it end? Should I buy a ticket to Mars and run away before it runs out?