Scientists at the University of Southampton have uncovered evidence from ancient rocks that the Earth’s climate continued to fluctuate during its most extreme ice age – known as Snowball Earth.
Ocean world
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Ice World Assay: Ancient Antarctica Reveals A ‘One–two Punch’ Behind Ice Sheet Collapse
Editor’s note: there are currently two advanced missions heading for the jovian system – Europa Clipper and ESA Juice – to study icy Europa and the other icy worlds orbiting […]
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Europa, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Jupiter, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Jupiter’s Moon Europa Has A Seafloor That May Be Quiet And Lifeless
The giant planet Jupiter has nearly 100 known moons, yet none have captured the interest and imagination of astronomers and space scientists quite like Europa, an ice-shrouded world that is […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Organic Carbon In A Submarine Pressure Cooker
The mid-ocean ridge runs through the oceans like a suture. Where the Earth’s plates move apart, new oceanic crust is continuously formed. This is often accompanied by magmatism and hydrothermal […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Status Report, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Titan’s Strong Tidal Dissipation Precludes A Subsurface Ocean
The Cassini mission provided unprecedented insights into Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, from its atmosphere to the deep interior.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Enceladus, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Raman Spectroscopy Of Salt Deposits From The Simulated Subsurface Ocean Of Enceladus
Saturn’s ice-covered moon Enceladus may host a subsurface ocean with biologically relevant chemistry.
![[RIGHT Io [LEFT] Europa -- NASA JPL source](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/On-The-Divergent-Evolution-of.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Europa, Icy Worlds, Io, Jupiter, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
On The Divergent Evolution Of Io And Europa As Primordial Ocean Worlds
Galilean moons exhibit a decrease in bulk density with distance from Jupiter, which may reflect differences in evolutionary paths and water loss.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Probing Thermal Gradients Of Habitable-zone Rocky Planets Using Direct Imaging As An Anti-indicator Of A Global Surface Ocean
Future direct-imaging missions, such as the Large Interferometer for Exoplanets (LIFE), aim to observe thermal emission from potentially habitable planets to characterize their surface environments and search for signs of […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Saturn, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Titan May Not Have A Global Ocean
A key discovery from NASA’s Cassini mission in 2008 was that Saturn’s largest moon Titan may have a vast water ocean below its hydrocarbon-rich surface. But reanalysis of mission data […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Enceladus, Europa, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Selected By NASA To Investigate Ocean Worlds And Their Organic Carbon Cycles
Ocean worlds such as Jupiter’s icy moon Europa and Saturn’s counterpart, Enceladus, could be among the most favorable places to discover life beyond Earth—and perhaps even a second, independent origin […]