Martian Atmosphere Interacting with the Solar Wind

Mars possesses no significant intrinsic magnetic field. The absence of magnetic protection allows the supersonic solar wind flow to directly interact with the Martian ionosphere (an almost fully ionized region of the Mars upper atmosphere). When the velocity of the solar wind increases, the Martian ionosphere is compressed and the ionopause (a boundary layer between the ionosphere and the solar wind) is displaced to lower altitudes. The ions of planetary origin such as O and O2 escape from the upper atmos