Venusian Habitable Climate Scenarios: Modeling Venus through time and applications to slowly rotating Venus-Like Exoplanets

Way, Michael; Genio, Anthony D. Del

doi:10.1002/essoar.10501118.1

Cited by 20 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 260 publications

(398 reference statements)

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“…Exploring the Venus zone is already being argued for based on scientific goals different than the ones discussed herein (Kane et al 2019). This is bolstered by studies that have shown the viability of habitable planets within the Venus zone (Way and Del Genio 2020). It could also provide a test for the idea that life can expand habitability beyond what we would imagine based on models that do not account for biologic feedbacks (Maxwell 1873; Lotka 1924; Lovelock and Margulis 1974; Zuluaga et al 2014).…”

Section: Observational Testsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Habitability: a process versus a state variable framework with observational tests and theoretical implications

Lenardic

Seales

2021

International Journal of Astrobiology

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The term habitable is used to describe planets that can harbour life. Debate exists as to specific conditions that allow for habitability but the use of the term as a planetary variable has become ubiquitous. This paper poses a meta-level question: What type of variable is habitability? Is it akin to temperature, in that it is something that characterizes a planet, or is something that flows through a planet, akin to heat? That is, is habitability a state or a process variable? Forth coming observations can be used to discriminate between these end-member hypotheses. Each has different implications for the factors that lead to differences between planets (e.g. the differences between Earth and Venus). Observational tests can proceed independent of any new modelling of planetary habitability. However, the viability of habitability as a process can influence future modelling. We discuss a specific modelling framework based on anticipating observations that can discriminate between different views of habitability.

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Section: Observational Testsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Habitability: a process versus a state variable framework with observational tests and theoretical implications

Lenardic

Seales

2021

International Journal of Astrobiology

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“…There are links between a planet's potential habitability and its rotation rate, for example, full spin‐orbit synchronization at lower rates and the reduction of meridional atmospheric convection at higher rotation rates due to a stronger Coriolis force (Yang et al, 2014). To properly constrain a planet's climatology, and therefore habitability, a range of variables, including the rotation rate, topography and land/ocean mask, must be known (Colose et al, 2019; Way et al, 2016; Way & Del Genio, 2020; Yang et al, 2014). So a planet's past, present, and future total tidal dissipation rate must be quantified, to improve estimates of those other dependent properties.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tides on Other Earths: Implications for Exoplanet and Palaeo‐Tidal Simulations

Blackledge

Green

Barnes

et al. 2020

Geophysical Research Letters

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A key controller of a planet's rotational evolution, and hence habitability, is tidal dissipation, which on Earth is dominated by the ocean tides. Because exoplanet or deep-time Earth topographies are unknown, a statistical ensemble is used to constrain possible tidal dissipation rates on an Earth-like planet. A dedicated tidal model is used together with 120 random continental configurations to simulate Earth's semidiurnal lunar tide. The results show a possible ocean tidal dissipation range spanning 3 orders of magnitude, between 2.3 GWto 1.9 TW (1 TW=10 12 W). When model resolution is considered, this compares well with theoretical limits derived for the energetics of Earth's present-day deep ocean. Consequently, continents exert a fundamental control on tidal dissipation rates and we suggest that plate tectonics on a planet will induce a time-varying dissipation analogous to Earth's. This will alter rotational periods over millions of years and further complicate the role of tides for planetary evolution.

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“…Within the uncertainties of these climate models, it is possible that snow and ice might once have been present at high latitudes and elevations within the units that later became tesserae (e.g., in Simulation 28 in ref. 24 ). On Earth, a wide range of glacial landforms exist, including cirques, aretes, horntarn, paternoster lakes, hanging valleys, U-shaped valleys, ribbon lakes, and fjords 48,49 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent modelling, however, suggests a re-consideration of whether flowing water has modified the stratigraphically oldest units, tesserae. A global circulation model for Venus suggests that Earth-like conditions could have existed for most of Venusian history, and that a runaway greenhouse effect changed Venus' climate catastrophically and led to loss of water [23][24][25][26] . The cause of this greenhouse effect is typically linked to CO 2 degassing during major volcanic eruptions, the timing and duration of which are the subject of debate, ranging from a catastrophic, global volcanic resurfacing event to steady-state resurfacing, yielding mean surface age estimates of~750 to 150 Ma 21,27,28 .…”

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confidence: 99%

Tesserae on Venus may preserve evidence of fluvial erosion

et al. 2020

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Fluvial erosion is usually assumed to be absent on Venus, precluded by a high surface temperature of ~450 °C and supported by extensive uneroded volcanic flows. However, recent global circulation models suggest the possibility of Earth-like climatic conditions on Venus for much of its earlier history, prior to catastrophic runaway greenhouse warming. We observe that the stratigraphically oldest, geologically most complex units, tesserae, exhibit valley patterns morphologically similar to the patterns resulting from fluvial erosion on Earth. Given poor topographic resolution, we use an indirect technique to recognize valleys, based on the pattern of lava flooding of tesserae margins by adjacent plains volcanism. These observed valley patterns are attributed to primary geology, tectonic deformation, followed by fluvial erosion (and lesser wind erosion). This proposed fluvial erosion in tesserae provides support for climate models for a cool, wet climate on early Venus and could be an attractive research theme for future Venus missions.

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Venusian Habitable Climate Scenarios: Modeling Venus through time and applications to slowly rotating Venus-Like Exoplanets

Abstract: Key Points:• Venus could have had habitable conditions for nearly 3 billion years. • Surface liquid water is required for any habitable scenario. • Solar insolation through time is not a crucial factor if a carbonate-silicate cycle is in action.

Cited by 20 publications

References 260 publications

Habitability: a process versus a state variable framework with observational tests and theoretical implications

Habitability: a process versus a state variable framework with observational tests and theoretical implications

Tides on Other Earths: Implications for Exoplanet and Palaeo‐Tidal Simulations

Tesserae on Venus may preserve evidence of fluvial erosion

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