Earth science,planetary vision——A foreword to Earth and Planetary Physics(EPP)

During the current interglacial period,conditions on Earth,the homeland of humankind,fostered the emergence of large-scale human cooperation,the unique phenomenon that we call civilization.Since then,humans everywhere on Earth,standing under the vast starlit sky,have thought about and explored our

Recent investigations of the near-Mars space environment by the planetary aeronomy and space physics community in China

The present issue of Earth and Planetary Physics is dedicated to the near-space neutral and plasma environments of Mars.The issue includes nine papers that present new results on the properties of the Martian exosphere,ionosphere,and magnetosphere,from both observational and modeling points of view.Due to the similarity between the two objects,the issue also includes two additional papers on the near-Venus plasma environment.

Ionospheric precursors of strong earthquakes observed using six GNSS stations data during continuous five years(2011-2015)

This study reports the morphological characteristics of anomalous variations in Global Navigation Satellite System Total Electron Content(GNSS-TEC) prior to the strong local earthquakes(EQ) that occurred during the period of 2011-2015.We have analyzed 20 earthquakes of magnitude M> 5.6.A statistical technique is implemented on the data of six GNSS stations located in Tashkent,Kitab,and Maidanak in Uzbekistan,and Islamabad,Multan,Quetta in Pakistan.The results show continuous anomalous variations in TEC during 24 h befo re the occupancy of local earthquakes.It is shown that the precursors before the occurrence of strong earthquakes,in particular of magnitude 5.7,7.7,7.5,7.8 and 7.3 are detected near Eastern Uzbekistan(26 May 2013),Southwestern Pakistan(24 September 2013),Hindukush region of Afghanistan(26 October 2015),and Central Nepal(25 April 2015) and(12 May 2015),respectively.The ionospheric anomalies appearing before the strong earthquakes at six GNSS stations are registered in 14cases(70%) out of 20 selected EQs.It is depicted that anomalies referred to as ionospheric precursors appeared about 1-7 days prior to the occurrence of strong earthquakes.

Phenomenology of plume-surface interactions and preliminary results from the Tianwen-1 landing crater on Mars

The plume-surface interaction(PSI)is a common phenomenon that describes the environment surrounding the landers resulting from the impingement of hot rocket exhaust on the regolith of planetary bodies.The PSI will cause obscuration,erosion of the planetary surface,and high-speed spreading of dust or high-energy ejecta streams,which will induce risks to a safe landing and cause damage to payloads on the landers or to nearby assets.Safe landings and the subsequent scientific goals of deep-space exploration in China call for a comprehensive understanding of the PSI process,including the plume flow mechanics,erosion mechanism,and ejecta dynamics.In addition,the landing crater caused by the plume provides a unique and insightful perspective on the understanding of PSI.In particular,the PSI can be used directly to constrain the composition,structure,and mechanical properties of the surface and subsurface soil.In this study,we conducted a systematic review of the phenomenology and terrestrial tests of PSI:we analyzed the critical factors in the PSI process and compared the differences in PSI phenomena between lunar and Martian conditions;we also reviewed the main erosion mechanisms and the evolution and development of terrestrial tests on PSI.We discuss the problems with PSI,challenges of terrestrial tests,and prospects of PSI,and we show the preliminary results obtained from the landing crater caused by the PSI of Tianwen-1.From analysis of the camera images and digital elevation model reconstructions,we concluded that the landing of Tianwen-1 caused the deepest crater(depth>40 cm)on a planetary surface reported to date and revealed stratigraphic layers in the subsurface of Martian soil.We further constrained the lower bounds of the mechanical properties of Martian soil by a slope stability analysis of the Tianwen-1 landing crater.The PSI may offer promising opportunities to obtain greater insights into planetary science,including the subsurface structure,mineral composition,and properties of soil.

Stress drop assessment of the August 8, 2017, Jiuzhaigou earthquake sequence and its tectonic implications

By using a broadband Lg attenuation model developed for the Tibetan Plateau,we isolate source terms by removing attenuation and site effects from the observed Lg-wave displacement spectra of the M 7.0 earthquake that occurred on August 8,2017,in Jiuzhaigou,China,and its aftershock sequence.Thus,the source parameters,including the scalar seismic moment,comer frequency and stress drop,of these events can be further estimated.The estimated stress drops vary from 47.1 kPa to 7149.6 kPa,with a median value of 59.4 kPa and most values falling between 50 kPa and 75 kPa.The estimated stress drops show significant spatial variations.Lower stress drops were mainly found close to the mainshock and on the seismogenic fault plane with large coseismic slip.In contrast,the highest stress drop was 7.1 MPa for the mainshock,and relatively large stress drops were also found for aftershocks away from the major seismogenic fault and at depths deeper than the zone with large coseismic slip.By using a statistical method,we found self-similarity among some of the aftershocks with a nearly constant stress drop.In contrast,the stress drop increased with the seismic moment for other aftershocks.The amount of stress released during earthquakes is a fundamental characteristic of the earthquake rupture process.As such,the stress drop represents a key parameter for improving our understanding of earthquake source physics.

Morphology and possible origins of the Perm anomaly in the lowermost mantle of Earth

We have constrained a small-scale,dome-shaped low-velocity structure near the core-mantle boundary(CMB)of Earth beneath Perm(the Perm anomaly)using travel-time analysis and three-dimensional(3-D)forward waveform modeling of seismic data sampling of the mantle.The best-fitting dome-shaped model centers at 60.0°E,50.5°N,and has a height of 400 km and a radius that increases from 200 km at the top to 450 km at the CMB.Its velocity reduction varies from 0%at the top to–3.0%at 240km above the CMB to–3.5%at the CMB.A surrounding 240-km-thick high-velocity D''structure has also been detected.The Perm anomaly may represent a stable smallscale chemical pile in the lowermost mantle,although the hypothesis of a developing mantle plume cannot be ruled out.

MAVEN observation of magnetosonic waves in the Martian magnetotail region

Magnetosonic waves are an important medium for energy transfer in collisionless space plasma.Magnetosonic waves have been widely investigated in the upstream of the bow shock at Mars.These waves are believed to originate from pickup ions or reflected particles.By utilizing MAVEN spacecraft data,we have observed the occurrence of quasi-perpendicularly propagating magnetosonic emissions near the proton gyrofrequency in the Martian magnetotail region.These plasma waves are associated with a significant enhancement of proton and oxygen flux.The excited magnetosonic waves could possibly heat the protons through resonance and facilitate the ionospheric plasma escape.Our results could be helpful to better understand the Mars’magnetospheric dynamics and offer insights into possible energy redistribution between waves and plasma in the Martian nightside magnetosphere.

Tectonic activity and earthquake risk in the Chengnanhe fault zone in Weihai city,Shandong province,China,obtained by using an integrated prospecting technique in geophysics and geology

For city planning and reducing potential earthquake risk,it’s necessary to detect the information of the buried faults in an urban area especially,including the location and activities.An integrated technique with geophysical and geological methods,including the shallow seismic reflection profile,electrical resistivity measurement,geologic borehole section,and exploration trench,was used to detect the Chengnanhe fault,which is one of the two main faults passing through the Weihai urban area in Shandong province,China.The results show that it is a normal fault striking with E-W direction,and it is relatively inactive and stable.By using the thermoluminescence(TL)dating,we found that the Chengnanhe fault initiated in mid-Pleistocene and there was no offset after late Pleistocene.Such an integrated technique with multiple geological and geophysical methods provides a significant assessment of earthquake risk for city planning in urban areas.

A brief review of equatorial ionization anomaly and ionospheric irregularities

Following a brief history and progress of ionospheric research, this paper presents a brief review of the recent developments in the understanding of two major phenomena in low and mid latitude ionosphere—the equatorial ionization anomaly(EIA) and involved equatorial plasma fountain(EPF) and ionospheric irregularities. Unlike the easy-to-understand misinterpretations, the EPF involves field perpendicular E×B plasma drift and field-aligned plasma diffusion acting together and plasma flowing in the direction of the resultant at all points along the field lines at all altitudes. The EIA is formed mainly from the removal of plasma from around the equator by the upward E×B drift creating the trough and consequently the crests with small accumulation of plasma at the crests when the crests are within ~±20° magnetic latitudes and no accumulation when they are beyond ~±25° magnetic latitudes. The strong EIA under magnetically active conditions arises from the simultaneous impulsive action of eastward prompt penetration electric field and equatorward neutral wind. Intense ionospheric irregularities develop in the post-sunset bottom-side equatorial ionosphere when it rises to high altitudes, and evolve nonlinearly into the topside. Pre-reversal enhancement(PRE) of the vertical upward E×B drift and its fluctuations amplified during PRE provide the driving force and seed, with neutral wind and gravity waves being the primary sources. At low solar activity especially in summer when fast varying PRE is absent, the slow varying gravity waves including large scale waves(LSW)seem to act as both driver and seed for weak irregularities. At mid latitudes, the irregularities are weak and associated with medium scale traveling ionospheric disturbances(MSTIDs). A low latitude minimum in the occurrence of the irregularities at March equinox predicted by theoretical models is identified. The minimum occurs on the poleward side of the EIA crest and shifts equatorward from ~25° magnetic latitudes at high solar activity to below 17° at low solar activity.

First results of optical meteor and meteor trail irregularity from simultaneous Sanya radar and video observations

Meteoroids entering the Earth's atmosphere can create meteor trail irregularity seriously disturbing the background ionosphere. Although numerous observations of meteor trail irregularities were performed with VHF/UHF coherent scatter radars in the past, no simultaneous radar and optical instruments were employed to investigate the characteristics of meteor trail irregularity and its corresponding meteoroid. By installing multiple video cameras near the Sanya VHF radar site, an observational campaign was conducted during the period from November 2016 to February 2017. A total of 242 optical meteors with simultaneous non-specular echoes backscattered from the plasma irregularities generated in the corresponding meteor trails were identified. A good agreement between the angular positions of non-specular echoes derived from the Sanya radar interferometer and those of optical meteors was found,validating that the radar system phase offsets have been properly calibrated. The results also verify the interferometry capability of Sanya radar for meteor trail irregularity observation. The non-specular echoes with simultaneous optical meteors were detected at magnetic aspect angles greater than ~78°. Based on the meteor visual magnitude estimated from the optical data, it was found that the radar nonspecular echoes corresponding to brighter meteors survived for longer duration. This could provide observational evidence for the significance of meteoroid mass on the duration of meteor trail irregularity. On the other hand, the simultaneous radar and video common-volume observations showed that there were some cases with optical meteors but without radar non-specular echoes. One possibility could be that some of the optical meteors appeared at extremely low altitudes where meteor trail irregularities rarely occur.

On the source of the quasi-Carrington Rotation periodic magnetic variations on the Martian surface: InSight observations and modeling

In a recent paper(Luo H et al.,2022),we found that the peak amplitudes of diurnal magnetic variations,measured during martian days(sols)at the InSight landing site,exhibited quasi Carrington-Rotation(qCR)periods at higher eigenmodes of the natural orthogonal components(NOC);these results were based on~664 sols of magnetic field measurements.However,the source of these periodic variations is still unknown.In this paper we introduce the neutral-wind driven ionospheric dynamo current model(e.g.,Lillis et al.,2019)to investigate the source.Four candidates-the draped IMF,electron density/plasma density,the neutral densities,and the electron temperature in the ionosphere with artificial qCR periodicity,are applied in the modeling to find the main factor likely to be causing the observed surface magnetic field variations that exhibit the same qCR periods.Results show that the electron density/plasma density,which controls the total conductivity in the dynamo region,appears to account for the greatest part of the surface qCR variations;its contribution reaches about 67.6%.The draped IMF,the neutral densities,and the electron temperature account,respectively,for only about 12.9%,10.3%,and 9.2%of the variations.Our study implies that the qCR magnetic variations on the Martian surface are due primarily to variations of the dynamo currents caused by the electron density variations.We suggest also that the timevarying fields with the qCR period could be used to probe the Martian interior's electrical conductivity structure to a depth of at least 700 km.

Reflectance calibration and shadow effect of VNIS spectra acquired by the Yutu rover

Yutu is the first lunar rover after the Apollo program and Luna missions. One of the payloads on the Yutu rover, the Visible and Near-infrared Imaging Spectrometer(VNIS), has acquired four VIS/NIR images and SWIR spectra near its landing site in Mare Imbrium. The radiance images were reduced through repairing bad lines and bad points, and applying flat field correction, and then were converted into reflectance values based on the solar irradiance and angles of incidence. A significant shadow effect was observed in the VIS/NIR image. The shadowed regions show lower reflectance with a darkening trend compared with illuminated regions. The reflectance increased by up to 24% for entire images and 17% for the VIS/NIR-SWIR overlapping regions after shadow correction. The correction for the shadow effect will remarkably decrease the estimate of Fe O content, by up to 4.9 wt.% in this study. The derived Fe O contents of CD-005～008 after shadow correction are around 18.0 wt.%.

Characteristics of the quasi-16-day wave in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere region as revealed by meteor radar,Aura satellite,and MERRA2 reanalysis data from 2008 to 2017

This study presents an analysis of the quasi-16-day wave(Q16DW)at three stations in the middle latitudes by using a meteor radar chain in conjunction with Aura Microwave Limb Sounder temperature data and MERRA2(Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications,Version 2)reanalysis data from 2008 to 2017.The radar chain consists of three meteor radar stations located at Mohe(MH,53.5°N,122.3°E),Beijing(BJ,40.3°N,116.2°E),and Wuhan(WH,30.5°N,114.6°E).The Q16DW wave exhibits similar seasonal variation in the neutral wind and temperature,and the Q16DW amplitude is generally strong during winter and weak around summer.The Q16DW at BJ was found to have secondary enhancement around September in the zonal wind,which is rarely reported at similar latitudes.The latitudinal variations of the Q16DW in the neutral wind and temperature are quite different.The Q16DW at BJ is the most prominent in both neutral wind components among the three stations and the Q16DW amplitudes at MH and WH are comparable,whereas the wave amplitude in temperature decreases with decreasing latitude.The quasi-geostrophic refractive index squared at the three stations in the period from 2008 to 2017 was revealed.The results indicate that the Q16DW in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere(MLT)at MH has a limited contribution from the lower atmosphere.Around March and October,the Q16DW in the troposphere at BJ can propagate upward into the MLT region,whereas at WH,the contribution to the Q16DW in the MLT region is largely from the mesosphere.

Morphological and phylogenetic diversity of magnetotactic bacteria and multicellular magnetotactic prokaryotes from a mangrove ecosystem in the Sanya River,South China

Magnetotactic bacteria(MTB)are morphologically and phylogenetically diverse prokaryotes commonly able to produce magnetic nanocrystals within intracellular membrane-bound organelles(i.e.,magnetosomes)and to swim along geomagnetic field lines.We studied the diversity of MTB in the samples collected from a mangrove area in the Sanya River,Hainan,South China,using microscopic and microbial phylogenetic methods.Results of microanalysis and observation in microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDXS)reveal a highly morphological diversity of MTB including unicellular cocci,vibrios,rod-shaped bacteria,and three morphotypes of multicellular magnetotactic prokaryotes(MMPs).In addition,analysis of the 16S rRNA gene showed that these MTB were clustered into 16 operational taxonomic units affi liated to the Alpha-,Delta-,and Gamma-proteobacteria classes within the Proteobacteria phylum.Meanwhile,by using the coupled fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy analysis,rodshaped bacteria,vibrio,and cocci were phylogenetically and structurally identified at the single-cell level.This study demonstrated highly diverse MTB communities in the mangrove ecosystem and provide a new insight into the overall diversity of MTB.

A local Martian crustal field model: Targeting the candidate landing site of the 2020 Chinese Mars Rover

Unlike Earth,Mars lacks a global dipolar magnetic field but is dominated by patches of a remnant crustal magnetic field.In 2021,the Chinese Mars Rover will land on the surface of Mars and measure the surface magnetic field along a moving path within the possible landing region of 20°W-50°W,20°N-30°N.One scientific target of the Rover is to monitor the variation in surface remnant magnetic fields and reveal the source of the ionospheric current.An accurate local crustal field model is thus considered necessary as a field reference.Here we establish a local crust field model for the candidate landing site based on the joint magnetic field data set from Mars Global Explorer(MGS)and Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution(MAVEN)data combined.The model is composed of 1,296 dipoles,which are set on three layers but at different buried depths.The application of the dipole model to the joint data set allowed us to calculate the optimal parameters of their dipoles.The calculated results demonstrate that our model has less fitting error than two other state-of-the art global crustal field models,which would indicate a more reasonable assessment of the surface crustal field from our model.

A simulation study of protons heated by left/right-handed Alfvén waves generated by electromagnetic proton-proton instability

Most protons in the solar wind belong to one of two different populations,the less dense beam protons and the denser core protons.The beam protons,with a velocity of(1-2)V_(A)(V_(A)is the local Alfvén speed),always drift relative to the core protons;this kind of distribution is unstable and stimulates several kinds of wave mode.In this study,using a 2 D hybrid simulation model,we find that the original right-handed elliptically polarized Alfvén waves become linearly polarized,and eventually become right-handed and circularly polarized.Given that linearly polarized waves are a superposition of left-handed and right-handed waves,cyclotron resonance in the right-handed/left-handed component heats beam/core protons perpendicularly.The resonance between beam protons and right-handed polarized waves is stronger when the beam relative density is lower,resulting in more dramatic perpendicular heating of beam protons,whereas the situation is reversed when the beam relative density is larger.

Influence of Mg²⁺, Fe²⁺and Zn²⁺Cations on ¹³C-¹⁸O Bonds in Precipitated Aragonite, Calcite and Dolomite: An <i>ab Initio</i>Study

The influence of metal cations on 13C-18O bonds in carbonates is still under debate. This paper used ab initio method to investigate this kind of influence of Mg2+, Fe2+ and Zn2+ cations on 13C-18O bonds in precipitated aragonite, calcite and dolomite. The polynomials of Δ47 and reduced partition function ratios (RPFRs) for 13/12C, 14/12C and 18/16O of these minerals were given within temperatures ranging from 260 to 1500 K. We found that these cations significantly decreased the Δ47 values at the level of 10-3 - 10-2 per mil, comparing with pure crystals;and that if the Δ47 values were used to reconstruct the temperatures Ts, the deviation of T was about 7.2°C for, for instance, zinc-enriched aragonite, as discussed in our paper. It was suggested that due to such influence, researchers would better use a proper thermometer according to the main impurity metal cations in carbonates. We also found that according to the probability theory, the theoretical value of the influence of phosphoric acid on Δ47 of CO2 degassed from different carbonates was zero.

EUV-dependence of Venusian dayside ionopause altitude:VEX and PVO observations

The Venusian dayside ionosphere, similar to other planetary ionospheres, is produced primarily by ionization of its neutral upper atmosphere due to solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation. It has become clear that the expansion of the ionosphere may be strongly controlled by the EUV level, as exhibited in data collected by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter (PVO) during one solar cycle (1978 1992). However, the EUV-dependence of the Venusian dayside ionopause altitude, which defines the outer boundary of the ionosphere, remains obscure because the PVO crossed the dayside ionopause only during the solar maximum;its periapsis lifted too high during the solar minimum. Recently, during the period 2006 2014, which included the longest and quietest solar minimum of the past several decades, Venus Express (VEX) provided measurements of the photoelectron boundary (PEB) over the northern high-latitude region. Since the photoelectron boundary is closely related to the ionopause, we have an opportunity to analyze the EUV effect on the dayside ionopause by combining PVO and VEX observations. We have evaluated and then reduced the orbit bias effect in data from both PVO and VEX, and then used the results to derive a relationship between solar EUV level and the dayside ionopause altitude. We find that the dayside ionopause altitude increases as the solar EUV level increases, which is consistent with theoretical expectations.

Radiation belt electron scattering by whistler-mode chorus in the Jovian magnetosphere: Importance of ambient and wave parameters

Whistler-mode chorus waves are regarded as an important acceleration mechanism contributing to the formation of relativistic and ultra-relativistic electrons in the Jovian radiation belts. Quantitative determination of the chorus wave driven electron scattering effect in the Jovian magnetosphere requires detailed information of both ambient magnetic field and plasma density and wave spectral property, which however cannot be always readily acquired from observations of existed missions to Jupiter. We therefore perform a comprehensive analysis of the sensitivity of chorus induced electron scattering rates to ambient magnetospheric and wave parameters in the Jovian radiation belts to elaborate to which extent the diffusion coefficients depend on a number of key input parameters. It is found that quasi-linear electron scattering rates by chorus can be strongly affected by the ambient magnetic field intensity, the wave latitudinal coverage, and the peak frequency and bandwidth of the wave spectral distribution in the Jovian magnetosphere, while they only rely slightly on the background plasma density profile and the peak wave normal angle, especially when the wave emissions are confined at lower latitudes. Given the chorus wave amplitude, chorus induced electron scattering rates strongly depend on Jovian L-shell to exhibit a tendency approximately proportional to L_J^3. Our comprehensive analysis explicitly demonstrates the importance of reliable information of both the ambient magnetospheric state and wave distribution property to understanding the dynamic electron evolution in the Jovian radiation belts and therefore has implications for future mission planning to explore the extreme particle radiation environment of Jupiter and its satellites.

A planetary perspective on Earth's space environment evolution

The planet Earth is an integrated system, in which its multi-spheres are coupled, from the space to the inner core. Whether the space environment in short to long terms has been controlled by the earth's interior process is contentious. In the past several decades,space weather and space climate have been extensively studied based on either observation data measured directly by man-made instruments or ancient data inferred indirectly from some historical medium of past thousands of years. The acquired knowledge greatly helps us to understand the dynamic processes in the space environment of modern Earth, which has a strong magnetic dipole and an oxygen-rich atmosphere. However, no data is available for ancient space weather and climate(>5 ka). Here, we propose to take the advantage of " space-diversity" to build a " generalized planetary space family", to reconcile the ancient space environment evolution of planet Earth from modern observations of other planets in our solar system. Such a method could also in turn give us a valuable insight into other planets' evolution.