Geoscience for Understanding Habitability in the Solar System and Beyond

Veronique Dehant*, Vinciane Debaille, Vera Dobos, Fabrice Gaillard, Cedric Gillmann, Steven Goderis, John Lee Grenfell, Dennis Höning, Emmanuelle J. Javaux, Özgür Karatekin, Alessandro Morbidelli, Lena Noack, Heike Rauer, Manuel Scherf, Tilman Spohn, Paul Tackley, Tim Van Hoolst, Kai Wünnemann

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalReview articleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

This paper reviews habitability conditions for a terrestrial planet from the point of view of geosciences. It addresses how interactions between the interior of a planet or a moon and its atmosphere and surface (including hydrosphere and biosphere) can affect habitability of the celestial body. It does not consider in detail the role of the central star but focusses more on surface conditions capable of sustaining life. We deal with fundamental issues of planetary habitability, i.e. the environmental conditions capable of sustaining life, and the above-mentioned interactions can affect the habitability of the celestial body. We address some hotly debated questions including: How do core and mantle affect the evolution and habitability of planets?What are the consequences of mantle overturn on the evolution of the interior and atmosphere?What is the role of the global carbon and water cycles?What influence do comet and asteroid impacts exert on the evolution of the planet?How does life interact with the evolution of the Earth’s geosphere and atmosphere?How can knowledge of the solar system geophysics and habitability be applied to exoplanets? In addition, we address the identification of preserved life tracers in the context of the interaction of life with planetary evolution.

Original languageEnglish
Article number42
Pages (from-to)1-48
Number of pages48
JournalSpace Science Reviews
Volume215
Issue number6
Early online date20 Aug 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2019

Funding

This paper was triggered by presentations and discussions that were held during the conference “Geoscience for understanding habitability in the solar system and beyond” held in the Azores from the 25th–29th September 2017. The workshop (and the work behind the scientific presentations) was supported by: – European COST (Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action TD1308 “ORIGINS” (Origins and evolution of life on Earth and in the Universe), – EGU (European Geophysical Union) Galileo conferences, – EuroPlaNet (European Planetology Network) 2020 RI (Research Infrastructure) (EPN2020-RI), – German TRR 170 (TransRegio collaborative research) network, – GINOP-2.3.2-15-2016-00003, – Hungarian National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH) grants K119993, K-115709, – The Austrian Science Fund (FWF) NFN project S11601-N16 “Pathways to Habitability: From Disks to Active Stars, Planets and Life” (related sub-projects S11604-N16, S11606-N16 and S11607-N16), – Planet TOPERS (Planets: Tracing the Transfer, Origin, Preservation, and Evolution of their ReservoirS) Belgian IAP (Inter-university Attraction Pole) PAI-IAP P7/15, – EU FP7-ERC Starting Grant ELiTE 308074: Early life Traces, Evolution, and Implications for astrobiology, – FNRS FRFC T.0029.13 ExtraOrDynHa, – ET-HOME (Evolution and Tracers of the Habitability of Mars and Earth) Belgian Excellence of Science—EoS-program, EOS 30442502. They are very much acknowledged, as well as anonymous reviewers for their helpful reviews. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

FundersFunder number
Belgian Excellence of Science—EoS-programEOS 30442502
EU FP7-ERCELiTE 308074
European Geophysical UnionEPN2020-RI, GINOP-2.3.2-15-2016-00003
Seventh Framework Programme308074
European Cooperation in Science and TechnologyTD1308
Austrian Science FundS11604-N16, S11606-N16, S11607-N16, S11601-N16
Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS
Nemzeti Kutatási Fejlesztési és Innovációs HivatalK-115709, K119993

    Keywords

    • Early Earth
    • Exoplanets
    • Habitability
    • Planet evolution

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