Context. While radiative cooling of interstellar grains is a well-known process, little detail is known about the cooling of grains with an icy mantle that contains volatile adsorbed molecules. Aims. […]
2019
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
Simulations of Water Vapor and Clouds on Rapidly Rotating and Tidally Locked Planets: a 3D Model Intercomparison
Robustly modeling the inner edge of the habitable zone is essential for determining the most promising potentially habitable exoplanets for atmospheric characterization. Global climate models (GCMs) have become the standard […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Dusty Iron in the Ancient Oceans
A recent study examines the affect of dust-borne iron on primary productivity in the oceans of the ancient Earth.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extinction events, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Ocean Anoxia during a Biocrisis on the Ancient Earth
A recent study provides new constraints on the timing of ocean anoxia during the Smithian-Spathian boundary (SSB), which represents a period of ‘biocrisis’ for Earth’s marine ecosystems as they recovered […]
Posted inMars
Astrobiology.com on Deutsche Welle TV – Mars 2020
Keith’s note: I was on Deutsche Welle TV today talking about the Mars 2020 rover mission and its implications for Astrobiology.
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Press Release
Geoscientists Document 300 Million Year Old Atmospheric Dust
Dust plays a crucial role in the life and health of our planet. In our modern world, dust-borne nutrients traveling in great dust storms from the Saharan Desert fertilize the […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
The Detectability and Constraints of Biosignature Gases in the Near & Mid-Infrared from Transit Transmission Spectroscopy
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is expected to revolutionize our understanding of Jovian worlds over the coming decade. However, as we push towards characterizing cooler, smaller, “terrestrial-like” planets, dedicated […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
Survival of Primordial Planetary Atmospheres: Photodissociation Driven Mass Loss
The most widely-studied mechanism of mass loss from extrasolar planets is photoevaporation via XUV ionization, primarily in the context of highly irradiated planets. However, the lower energy regime of FUV […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
Dim Prospects for Transmission Spectra of Ocean Earths Around M Stars
The search for water-rich Earth-sized exoplanets around low-mass stars is rapidly gaining attention because they represent the best opportunity to characterize habitable planets in the near future. Understanding the atmospheres […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Press Release
Fragmentation And Isomerization of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Interstellar Medium: Coronene As A Case Study
Aims. Due to the limitations of current computational technology, the fragmentation and isomerization products of vibrationally-excited polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules and their derivatives are poorly studied. In this work, […]