Dec 16, 2021 04:06 AM
www.inverse.com/science/life-in-space-land-planets-no-water
EXCERPT: . . . A recent paper suggests that so-called “land planets” that have very little water may be better suited for habitability than Earth-like water worlds.
[...] In the search for extraterrestrial life, most of the focus is on exoplanets with a large amount of liquid water on their surface. However, this new study focused on land planets — or planets with very little water on their surface.
The idea is based on the climate model of planets, which estimates that while planets that lie outside of their star’s habitable zone can’t sustain enough water, some may be warm enough to have liquid water if there’s enough carbon dioxide in their atmosphere.
The carbon dioxide would lead to the warming of the planet’s atmosphere in what is known as the greenhouse effect, the same effect that is warming our own planet with the rise of industrialization.
The study also suggests that land planets would have a much drier atmosphere compared to a planet with large amounts of water on its surface. This would lead to a wider habitable zone for land planets, according to the study.
In order to test this theory, the scientists behind the study created a model of a rocky, land exoplanet with a dry climate and little water on its surface. The drier climate resulted in less snow and fewer clouds.
They also found that the freezing limit, or the point at which the water on the surface of the planet would turn into ice, decreased with a land planet compared to a water-rich planet. This means the land planet could sustain its water the further away it is from its host star... (MORE - missing details)
EXCERPT: . . . A recent paper suggests that so-called “land planets” that have very little water may be better suited for habitability than Earth-like water worlds.
[...] In the search for extraterrestrial life, most of the focus is on exoplanets with a large amount of liquid water on their surface. However, this new study focused on land planets — or planets with very little water on their surface.
The idea is based on the climate model of planets, which estimates that while planets that lie outside of their star’s habitable zone can’t sustain enough water, some may be warm enough to have liquid water if there’s enough carbon dioxide in their atmosphere.
The carbon dioxide would lead to the warming of the planet’s atmosphere in what is known as the greenhouse effect, the same effect that is warming our own planet with the rise of industrialization.
The study also suggests that land planets would have a much drier atmosphere compared to a planet with large amounts of water on its surface. This would lead to a wider habitable zone for land planets, according to the study.
In order to test this theory, the scientists behind the study created a model of a rocky, land exoplanet with a dry climate and little water on its surface. The drier climate resulted in less snow and fewer clouds.
They also found that the freezing limit, or the point at which the water on the surface of the planet would turn into ice, decreased with a land planet compared to a water-rich planet. This means the land planet could sustain its water the further away it is from its host star... (MORE - missing details)