Using an idealised climate model incorporating seasonal forcing, we investigate the impact of rotation rate on the abundance of clouds on an Earth-like aquaplanet, and the resulting impacts upon albedo […]
Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Posted inPress Release
Ocean Planet Expedition: R/V Maria S. Merian Explores With A Deep-Sea Robot
Editor’s note: when we begin to robotically explore the ice-covered oceans of Enceladus, Europa, Ganymede, Mimas etc. we’ll need to make the most of the visits. Learning how to best […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Emergence Of Prochlorococcus In The Tonian Oceans And The Initiation Of Neoproterozoic Oxygenation
Prochlorococcus are the smallest and most abundant photosynthetic organisms on Earth, contributing up to 50% of the chlorophyll in the oligotrophic oceans.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Migration Solves An Exoplanet Puzzle
Ordinarily, planets in evolved planetary systems, such as the Solar System, follow stable orbits around their central star. However, many indications suggest that some planets might depart from their birthplaces […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mimas, Press Release, Saturn, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Mimas Has A Young Ocean Beneath Its Icy Shell
Hidden beneath the heavily cratered surface of Mimas, one of Saturn’s smallest moons, lies a secret: a global ocean of liquid water.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Habitable Zones, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Eccentricity Distribution Beyond the Snow Line and Implications for Planetary Habitability
A fundamental question in the study of planetary system demographics is: how common is the solar system architecture?
Posted inAnalog Studies, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Exoplanet Analog Observations Of Earth From Galileo Mission Disk-integrated Photometry
The Galileo spacecraft had distant encounters with Earth in 1990 and 1992. Limited Solid State Imager (SSI) data acquired during these encounters has been previously presented, but the majority of […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
The NASA Roadmap To Ocean Worlds
In this article, we summarize the work of the NASA Outer Planets Assessment Group (OPAG) Roadmaps to Ocean Worlds (ROW) group. The aim of this group is to assemble the […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Active Prokaryotic And Eukaryotic Viral Ecology Across Spatial Scale In A Deep-sea Brine Pool
Deep-sea brine pools represent rare, extreme environments that focus biodiversity at bathyal to abyssal depths. Despite their small size and distribution, brine pools represent important ecosystems to study because they […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Science Autonomy For Ocean Worlds Astrobiology: A Perspective
Astrobiology missions to ocean worlds in our solar system must overcome both scientific and technological challenges due to extreme temperature and radiation conditions, long communication times, and limited bandwidth.