![(a) Schematic of Europan ice-ocean system [related image in 11]. (b) Map of sea surface temperature (◦C) showing the transition between the temperature-stratified North Atlantic Ocean and the salt-stratified Arctic Ocean; (c) Potential temperature (left) and salinity (right) profiles with depth from location near the North Pole. Different water-mass characteristics are labeled. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/What-can.png?resize=1200%2C582&ssl=1)
[astro-ph.EP] Past and present climates, both on Earth and in planetary systems, maintain ice covers with underlying oceans. This can range from sea ice in the Arctic Ocean to global […]
Ocean world
Posted inEuropa
The Sulfate Content Of Europa’s Subsurface Ocean and Icy Shell
[Astrobiology (Journal)] Recent models for the origin of Jupiter indicate that the Galilean satellites were mostly derived from largely unprocessed solar nebula solids and planetesimals.
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Methanotrophy Under Extreme Alkalinity In A Serpentinizing System
[Nature] Serpentinization produces hyperalkaline, H2– and CH4-rich fluids that support microbial life and serve as analogs for ocean worlds such as Enceladus. While methane production in these systems has been […]
![This artist’s concept depicts a cutaway view showing Europa’s ice shell. Data used to generate a new result on the ice thickness and structure was collected by the microwave radiometer instrument on NASA’s Juno during a close flyby of the Jovian moon on Sept. 29, 2022. NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/Koji Kuramura/ Gerald Eichstädt (CC BY) [Enhanced by Grok via Astrobiology.com]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Why-Europa.jpg?resize=1200%2C752&ssl=1)
Posted inEuropa
Why Europa’s Hidden Ocean May Be More Difficult To Reach Than Scientists Thought
[Rutgers University] Europa, one of Jupiter’s icy moons, long has fascinated scientists because of what may lie beneath its frozen shell: a global ocean of liquid water.
Posted inWater/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Deep-sea Creatures’ Epic Migrations Between Hydrothermal Vents
[University of Tokyo] Hydrothermal vents on the bottom of the ocean host a broad range of rare and unusual ecosystems. They can be spread very far apart, and yet there […]
Posted inWater/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
How Will We Monitor Life In Alien Oceans?
Editor’s note: when we start to explore the oceans on other worlds we will need to be ready to utilize a wide range of detection methods optical, auditory – and […]
Posted inPluto
Evidence For Possible N2 Basal Flow Beneath Pluto Northern Sputnik Planitia
[astro-ph.EP] Sputnik Planitia (SP) on Pluto is a large, predominantly N2 ice-filled basin with a surface area of one million square kilometers; it is among the most spectacular surface features […]
Posted inEuropa, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Earth As A Potential Source Of Llife For Europa’s Subsurface Ocean
The paper discusses the possibility of dust particles containing living bacteria ejected from Earth reaching Europa and landing on its surface.
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Analog Studies, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Water Planet Recon: New AI Approach Reveals Earth’s Ocean Currents In Unprecedented Detail
Editor’s note: when our first missions – human or robotic – arrive at a new world we’ll want to do glean as much information from space – via fly by […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Modeling the Seasonality of Wind-Driven Hydrocarbon Waves in Titan’s Polar Lakes
Titan, the only body in the solar system aside from Earth with standing liquids on its surface, has high-latitude hydrocarbon lakes and seas. As Titan’s atmosphere generates light winds, there […]