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   Chuck Darwin (cdarwin@c.im)'s status on Monday, 30-Sep-2024 03:12:13 JST Chuck Darwin

   Scientists just discovered why Earth’s atmosphere is leaking

   Since the late 1960s, satellites over the poles detected an extremely fast flow of particles escaping into space
   — that were being leaked by our atmosphere.

   Now, scientists have discovered a global electric field that explains how particles from our atmosphere are catapulted into space.

   Scientists suspected that gravity and the magnetic field alone could not fully explain the stream.

   There had to be another source creating this leaky faucet.
   
It turns out the mysterious force is a previously undiscovered global electric field, a recent study found.

   The field is only about the strength of a watch battery
   — but it’s enough to thrust lighter ions from our atmosphere into space.

   It’s also generated unlike other electric fields on Earth.
   
This newly discovered aspect of our planet provides clues about the evolution of our atmosphere, perhaps explaining why Earth is habitable.
   
The electric field is “an agent of chaos,” said Glyn Collinson, a NASA rocket scientist and lead author of the study.

   “It undoes gravity. ... Without it, Earth would be very different.”

   https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/09/29/earth-electric-field-discovery/