  (Abridged) We investigate the ionized environment of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC
985 with a new Chandra-HETGS observation and an archival BeppoSAX observation.
Two absorption components are clearly required to fit absorption features
observed in the Chandra spectrum. The components have a difference of 29 in
ionization parameter and 3 in column density. The presence of the low
ionization component is evidenced by an Fe M-shell unresolved transition array
(UTA) produced by charge states VII to XIII. The high ionization phase is
required by the presence of broad absorption features arising from several
blends of Fe L-shell transitions (Fe XVII-XXII). A third highly ionized
component might also be present, but the data does not allow to constrain its
properties. An X-ray luminosity variation by a factor 2.3 is observed between
the BeppoSAX and Chandra observations (separated by almost 3 years).
Variability in the opacity of the absorbers is detected in response to the
continuum variation, but while the colder component is consistent with a simple
picture of photoionization equilibrium, the ionization state of the hotter
component seems to increase while the continuum flux drops. The most striking
result in our analysis is that during both the Chandra and the BeppoSAX
observations, the two absorbing components appear to have the same pressure.
Thus, we suggest that the absorption arises from a multi-phase wind. Such
scenario can explain the change in opacity of both absorption components during
the observations, but requires that a third hotter component is
pressure-confining the two phases. Hence, our analysis points to a 3-phase
medium similar to the wind found in NGC 3783, and further suggests that such a
wind might be a common characteristic in AGN.
