Biology
Scientific paper
Dec 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009agufm.b11e..08p&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2009, abstract #B11E-08
Biology
[0406] Biogeosciences / Astrobiology And Extraterrestrial Materials, [0702] Cryosphere / Permafrost, [5210] Planetary Sciences: Astrobiology / Planetary Atmospheres, Clouds, And Hazes
Scientific paper
Stable liquid water on the surface of a planet has been viewed as the major requirement for a habitable planet. Such approach would exclude planets with low atmospheric pressures and cold mean surface temperatures (like present Mars) as potential candidates for extraterrestrial life search. Here we explore a possibility of the liquid water formation in the extremely shallow (1-3 cm) subsurface layer under low atmospheric pressures (0.1-10 mbar) and low average surface temperatures (~-30 C). During brief periods of simulated daylight warming the shallow subsurface ice sublimates, the water vapor can diffuse through the porous surface layer of soil temporarily producing supersaturated conditions in the soil, which lead to the formation of liquid films. We show that non-extremophile terrestrial microorganisms (Vibrio sp.) can grow and reproduce under such conditions. The necessary conditions for metabolism and reproduction are the sublimation of ground ice through a thin layer of soil and short episodes of warm temperatures at the planetary surface.
Pavlov Aleksei
Vdovina M.
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