Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Dec 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufm.p24a..01h&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #P24A-01
Mathematics
Logic
[6207] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Comparative Planetology, [6218] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Jovian Satellites, [6280] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Saturnian Satellites
Scientific paper
The idea that several of the outer planet satellites might contain subsurface water oceans was first proposed by Lewis (1971) and others in the early seventies. Since the late nineties, evidence for the presence of those liquid layers was provided by the Galileo mission for Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto and by Cassini data for Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Modelling suggests that furthermore Saturn’s moon Titan, Neptune’s Triton, and other large icy objects in the outer solar system can contain liquid water layers in their interiors. Thus, subsurface water oceans in icy moons and presumably in Kuiper-belt binaries might provide habitable environments in the outer solar system. Long-term stability of the oceans requires energy sources that provide sufficient heat to maintain liquid layers on geologic time-scales. On the other hand the rate of heat transport has to be sufficiently small to prevent the oceans from freezing. Both competing factors depend on the physical properties (e.g., rock content, interior structure, temperature) of the satellite and —in some cases— on the interaction with other planetary bodies (e.g., tidal interaction with the primary and resonances with other satellites). Furthermore, the presence of oceans depends on chemical properties (e.g., volatile content) of the liquid phase and is thus closely linked to the conditions in the respective sub-nebula during accretion. The resulting conditions for a putative ocean may vary considerably for the individual satellites. As a consequence expected ocean worlds will be very diverse in the outer solar system. Here we discuss the conditions under which liquid water layers can be maintained on long time-scales. Energy sources and processes that play a key role, i.e. radioactive decay, tidal heating, energy due to accretion and differentiation will be estimated in application to the satellites of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. In case of tidal heating, the resulting heat balance equation can be linked to the heat production rate. Consequences for the thermal-orbital evolution of the satellites will be discussed.
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