Conversations on the Habitability of Worlds: The Importance of Volatiles

Bertaux, Jean-Loup; Carr, M. H.; Marais, David J. Des; Gaidos, Eric

doi:10.1007/s11214-007-9193-3

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 200 publications

(189 reference statements)

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“…Studies since the time of the Magellan mission have shown that subductive style plate tectonics do not presently exist on Venus to give it a substantial sink like that on Earth, even if there may be other types of tectonic activity allowing sinks of unquantified magnitude [e.g., Elkins‐Tanton et al ., ]. So while this work demonstrates that it may have been possible to have a moderate climate on Venus on short time scales compared with Earth [ Sleep and Zahnle , ; Bertaux et al ., ], we must wait until future data help us better constrain that planet's ancient geologic history to understand if it was capable of long‐term stable habitable climates. Other anticipated spacecraft measurements will reduce current large uncertainties in the geologic and atmospheric history of Venus.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Was Venus the first habitable world of our solar system?

Way

Genio

Kiang

et al. 2016

Geophysical Research Letters

284

276

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Present‐day Venus is an inhospitable place with surface temperatures approaching 750 K and an atmosphere 90 times as thick as Earth's. Billions of years ago the picture may have been very different. We have created a suite of 3‐D climate simulations using topographic data from the Magellan mission, solar spectral irradiance estimates for 2.9 and 0.715 Gya, present‐day Venus orbital parameters, an ocean volume consistent with current theory, and an atmospheric composition estimated for early Venus. Using these parameters we find that such a world could have had moderate temperatures if Venus had a prograde rotation period slower than ~16 Earth days, despite an incident solar flux 46–70% higher than Earth receives. At its current rotation period, Venus's climate could have remained habitable until at least 0.715 Gya. These results demonstrate the role rotation and topography play in understanding the climatic history of Venus‐like exoplanets discovered in the present epoch.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Was Venus the first habitable world of our solar system?

Way

Genio

Kiang

et al. 2016

Geophysical Research Letters

284

276

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“…Secondly, the H 2 S/SO 2 ratio provides additional information on the temperature and water content of an outgassing event, as it is governed by a redox reaction in which a lower temperature and higher water content favours the production of H 2 S from SO 2 (Oppenheimer et al 2011; and references therein). Finally, H 2 S is, in itself, a gas that is produced biotically on Earth through the metabolism of sulphate ions in acidic environments (Bertaux et al 2007), which could hypothetically be produced by micro-organisms living in sulphate deposits on Mars.…”

Section: H 2 Smentioning

confidence: 99%

No detection of SO₂, H₂S, or OCS in the atmosphere of Mars from the first two Martian years of observations from TGO/ACS

Braude

Montmessin

Olsen

et al. 2022

A&A

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Context. The detection of sulphur species in the Martian atmosphere would be a strong indicator of volcanic outgassing from the surface of Mars. Aims. We wish to establish the presence of SO2, H2S, or OCS in the Martian atmosphere or determine upper limits on their concentration in the absence of a detection. Methods. We perform a comprehensive analysis of solar occultation data from the mid-infrared channel of the Atmospheric Chemistry Suite instrument, on board the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, obtained during Martian years 34 and 35. Results. For the most optimal sensitivity conditions, we determine 1σ upper limits of SO2 at 20 ppbv, H2S at 15 ppbv, and OCS at 0.4 ppbv; the last value is lower than any previous upper limits imposed on OCS in the literature. We find no evidence of any of these species above a 3σ confidence threshold. We therefore infer that passive volcanic outgassing of SO2 must be below 2 ktons day−1.

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“…Secondly, the H 2 S/SO 2 ratio provides additional information on the temperature and water content of an outgassing event, as it is governed by a redox reaction in which a lower temperature and higher water content favours the production of H 2 S from SO 2 (Oppenheimer et al 2011;and references therein). Finally, H 2 S is, in itself, a gas that is produced biotically on Earth through the metabolism of sulphate ions in acidic environments (Bertaux et al 2007), which could hypothetically be produced by micro-organisms living in sulphate deposits on Mars. Fig.…”

Section: H 2 Smentioning

confidence: 99%

No detection of SO2, H2S, or OCS in the atmosphere of Mars from the first two Martian years of observations from TGO/ACS

Braude,

Montmessin,

Olsen

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Context. The detection of sulphur species in the Martian atmosphere would be a strong indicator of volcanic outgassing from the surface of Mars. Aims. We wish to establish the presence of SO 2 , H 2 S, or OCS in the Martian atmosphere or determine upper limits on their concentration in the absence of a detection. Methods. We perform a comprehensive analysis of solar occultation data from the mid-infrared channel of the Atmospheric Chemistry Suite instrument, on board the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, obtained during Martian years 34 and 35. Results. For the most optimal sensitivity conditions, we determine 1σ upper limits of SO 2 at 20 ppbv, H 2 S at 15 ppbv, and OCS at 0.4 ppbv; the last value is lower than any previous upper limits imposed on OCS in the literature. We find no evidence of any of these species above a 3σ confidence threshold. We therefore infer that passive volcanic outgassing of SO 2 must be below 2 ktons/day.

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Conversations on the Habitability of Worlds: The Importance of Volatiles

Abstract: Our scientific forefathers discuss the interrelationships between water, climate, the atmosphere, and life on Earth and other terrestrial planets at a workshop in Nichtchâtel, Switzerland

Cited by 8 publications

References 200 publications

Was Venus the first habitable world of our solar system?

Was Venus the first habitable world of our solar system?

No detection of SO₂, H₂S, or OCS in the atmosphere of Mars from the first two Martian years of observations from TGO/ACS

No detection of SO2, H2S, or OCS in the atmosphere of Mars from the first two Martian years of observations from TGO/ACS

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