Other
Scientific paper
Dec 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufm.p11g..03w&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #P11G-03
Other
[5405] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Atmospheres, [5455] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Origin And Evolution, [6225] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Mars, [6296] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Extra-Solar Planets
Scientific paper
With the rapid advances in exoplanet discovery and characterisation over the last decade, it has become clear that extensive generalisation of atmospheric evolution theories is necessary. In this talk I describe recent results produced using a new 3D climate model that we developed specifically for exoplanet and paleoclimate studies, with a focus on planets that receive less light from their star than Earth. While close-in terrestrial planets such as Venus are unlikely to have anything resembling an Earth-like climate due to the runaway H2O greenhouse effect, at greater distances a variety of processes may warm the surface sufficiently to provide transient or long-term conditions suitable for liquid water. The traditional starting point for discussion of planetary habitability on the 'outer edge' is of course Mars in our solar system, but I will argue here that aspects of its evolution make Mars a rather exceptional case. Thanks to recent discoveries, we now know of exoplanets several times more massive than Earth that receive similar amounts of starlight to Mars. Of particular interest is the super-Earth Gliese 581d; recent work by our team and others has shown that if this planet possesses even a moderately dense CO2 atmosphere, it will have a strong enough greenhouse effect to allow surface liquid water and hence potentially life. However, other scenarios such as a hydrogen-helium envelope or a reduced Titan-like atmosphere are also possible, depending on Gliese 581d's formation and evolutionary history. I discuss whether these cases may also offer interesting prospects for habitability, and highlight what I regard as the key theoretical challenges for increasing our understanding of super-Earth climate evolution in the future.
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