Editor’s note: One way to search for habitable – and possibly inhabited – worlds in our solar system and in other star systems is to examine planetary atmospheres for chemical […]
physics.ao-ph
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
On The Relative Humidity Of Earth’s Atmosphere
Water vapour is highly subsaturated in much of the Earth’s atmosphere. This has important consequences for water vapour feedback, and also for general phenomena such as the runaway greenhouse.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Archean Methane Cycling and Life’s Co-Evolution: Intertwining Early Biogeochemical Processes and Ancient Microbial Metabolism
This chapter explores the key carbon compounds that shaped the Archean biogeochemical cycle, delineating their substantial impact on Earth’s primordial atmospheric and biospheric evolution.
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Biosignatures: On The Peril of Inferring Phytoplankton Properties From Remote-Sensing Observations
Since 1978, sensors on remote-sensing satellites have provided global, multi-band images at optical wavelengths to assess ocean color. In parallel, sophisticated radiative transfer models account for attenuation and emission by […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Clouds And Seasonality On Terrestrial Planets With Varying Rotation Rates
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 […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release
The Key Factors Controlling the Seasonality of Planetary Climate
Several different factors influence the seasonal cycle of a planet. This study uses a general circulation model and an energy balance model (EBM) to assess the parameters that govern the […]
Posted inPanspermia
On The Force Of Vertical Winds In The Upper Atmosphere – Consequences For Small Biological Particles
For many decades vertical winds have been observed at high altitudes of the Earth’s atmosphere, in the mesosphere and thermosphere layers. These observations have been used with a simple one […]
Posted inHabitable Zones
Role Of Surface Gravity Waves in Aquaplanet Ocean Climates
We present a set of idealised numerical experiments of a solstitial aquaplanet ocean and examine the thermodynamic and dynamic implications of surface gravity waves (SGWs) upon its mean state. The […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Oceanic And Atmospheric Methane Cycling In The cGENIE Earth System Model
The methane cycle is a key component of the Earth system that links planetary climate, biological metabolism, and the global biogeochemical cycles of carbon, oxygen, sulfur, and hydrogen. However, currently […]
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Press Release
Glaciological Window Into The Pace Of The Organic Carbon Cycle
Because the geological carbon cycle regulates long term atmospheric oxygen concentrations, fluctuations in atmospheric O2 are typically attributed to an imbalance between the weathering of organic carbon (OC) and reduced […]