Are H and O Being Lost From the Mars Atmosphere in the H2O Stoichiometric Ratio of 2:1?

Loss of gas from the Mars upper atmosphere to space has been a significant process in the evolution of the Mars atmosphere through time. H is derived from photodissociation of H2O, and is lost by Jeans (thermal) escape. O comes from photodissociation of either H2O or CO2, and is lost by non-thermal processes including dissociative recombination, ion pickup, or sputtering by pick-up ions impacting the atmosphere (in order of importance today). McElroy (1972) proposed that H and O are lost in the ratio of 2:1 that comes from photodissociation of H2O; any imbalance would result in build-up of the lesser-escaping atom that increases its loss rate until the rates were in balance. For the Mars year observed by MAVEN, the large seasonal variation in H loss rate makes this hypothesis difficult to evaluate; however, current best estimates of loss rates suggest that they could be in balance, given the observational uncertainties and seasonal variations (both of which are significant). Even if they are in balance over longer timescales, they still might not be during the "MAVEN" year due to: (i) complications resulting from the interplay between multiple loss processes for O beyond only photochemical loss as considered by McElroy, (ii) interannual and longer-term variations in the lower-atmosphere dust and water cycles that can change the escape rate, (iii) the variation in loss rate expected throughout the 11-year solar cycle, (iv) changes in lower-atmosphere forcing due to the changing orbital elements, or (v) loss of C, H, or O to the crust via reaction with surface minerals. The higher (and unequal) loss rates for all species early in history are likely to have kept H and O from being in balance over the 4-billion-year timescale.