Due to its Earth-like minimum mass of 1.27 ME and its close proximity to our Solar system, Proxima Centauri b is one of the most interesting exoplanets for habitability studies.
Atmospheres, Climate, Weather
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Press Release
Earth Climate Models And The Search For Life On Other Planets
In a generic brick building on the northwestern edge of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center campus in Greenbelt, Maryland, thousands of computers packed in racks the size of vending machines […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Press Release, Titan
Low Pressure EUV Photochemical Experiments: Insight on the Ion-Chemistry Occurring in Titan's Atmosphere
Thanks to the Cassini spacecraft onboard instruments, it has been known that Titan’s ionospheric chemistry is complex and the molecular growth is initiated through the photolysis of the most abundant […]
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 inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Press Release
Lightning On Other Planets
More than 4,000 planets are known that orbit stars other than our Sun. Many harbor a dynamic atmosphere that is cold enough that cloud particles can form in abundance. The […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather
The Snowball Stratosphere
According to the Snowball Earth hypothesis, Earth has experienced periods of low-latitude glaciation in its deep past. Prior studies have used general circulation models (GCMs) to examine the effects such […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Press Release
Ancient Plankton Help Researchers Predict Near-future Climate
The Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawai’i recently recorded the highest concentration of carbon dioxide, or CO2, levels in human history. In fact, the last time CO2 levels surpassed 400 parts […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Comets and Asteroids, Press Release
A Family Of Comets Reopens The Debate About the Origin Of Earth's Water
Where did the Earth’s water come from? Although comets, with their icy nuclei, seem like ideal candidates, analyses have so far shown that their water differs from that in our […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Press Release
Abrupt Global Events In The Earth's History: A Physics Perspective
The timeline of the Earth’s history reveals quasi-periodicity of the geological record over the last 542 Myr, on timescales close, in the order of magnitude, to 1 Myr. What is […]