{"id":779364,"date":"2024-03-21T21:09:01","date_gmt":"2024-03-22T02:09:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=779364"},"modified":"2024-03-21T21:09:01","modified_gmt":"2024-03-22T02:09:01","slug":"europa-might-not-be-able-to-support-life-in-its-oceans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=779364","title":{"rendered":"Europa Might Not Be Able to Support Life in its Oceans"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Can Europa\u2019s massive, interior ocean contain the building blocks of life, and even support life as we know it? This question is at the forefront of astrobiology discussions as scientists continue to debate the possibility for habitability on Jupiter\u2019s icy moon. However, a recent study presented at the <em>55<sup>th<\/sup> Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC)<\/em> might put a damper in hopes for finding life as a team of researchers investigate how Europa\u2019s seafloor could be lacking in geologic activity, decreasing the likelihood of necessary minerals and nutrients from being recycled that could serve as a catalyst for life.<\/p>\n<p><span id=\"more-166258\"\/><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What You Need to Know About Europa\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GS6feMWzwIY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Here, <em>Universe Today<\/em> speaks with Henry Dawson, who is a PhD student in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis and lead author of the study, about his motivation behind the study, significant results, follow-up studies, and whether Dawson believes there\u2019s life on Europa. So, what was the motivation behind this study?<\/p>\n<p>Dawson tells <em>Universe Today<\/em>, \u201cA large portion of the community has been looking at the habitability potential of the seafloor, and looking at processes that might occur at seafloor hydrothermal vents, or at water\u2013rock interaction chemistry. However, it was never established that there would actually be any fresh rock exposed at the seafloor, or if the tectonic processes that drive hydrothermal vents would be present. The silicate interior of Europa is a similar size to that of Earth\u2019s Moon, which is largely geologically dead on the surface.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Artist\u2019s cutaway illustration of Europa and its potential geologic activity. (Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/Michael Carroll) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>For the study, Dawson and his colleagues examined the likelihood for geologic activity occurring on Europa\u2019s seafloor through analyzing data on Europa\u2019s geophysical characteristics and comparing them with known geologic parameters and processes, including the strength of potential fault lines and fractures within Europa\u2019s rocky interior, how the strength of this rock changes with depth, and how the rock could react to ongoing stresses, commonly known as convection. Using this, they conducted a series of calculations to ascertain whether the seafloor crust could drive geologic activity. Therefore, what were the most significant results from this study?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt looks a lot more difficult to expose fresh rock (which is required to drive the reactions that life would exploit) to the ocean,\u201d Dawson tells <em>Universe Today<\/em>. \u201cTidal forces do not seem able to cause motion along faults, like it can on the surface, and so the seafloor is most likely still. All the rock that water is able to interact with through porosity was likely altered hundreds of millions to billions of years ago, and so the ocean and rock are in chemical equilibrium. This means that there is no present day, continuous input of nutrients into the ocean from the rocky core, and so any possible life would likely have to exploit nutrient input from the icy shell above the ocean.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Searching For Life On Jupiter&#039;s Moon, Europa | Moon Explorers | BBC Earth Science\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yX3Bm3zMqTk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>While this study focused on geologic stresses related to fractures and fault lines, Europa\u2019s interior ocean is produced from another type of geologic stress known as tidal heating, which is induced from the constant stretching and compressing as Europa orbits the much more massive Jupiter. This same tidal process occurs between the Earth and its Moon, and we see this in action in the rising and falling of the Earth\u2019s waters around the globe. For Europa, over the course of thousands to millions of years, the stretching and compressing leads to friction in Europa\u2019s inner rocky core, which leads to becoming heated and melting the inner ice into the interior ocean that exists today. It is in this ocean that astrobiologists hypothesize that life could exist, possibly even life as we know it.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Europa: How does Tidal Heating Work?\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/r8RNrK6IJZo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>However, given these study\u2019s unfortunate findings, Dawson and his colleagues give dire implications for the potential habitability on Europa, noting their calculations estimate that geologic activity on Europa\u2019s seafloor is limited enough to indicate habitable conditions within Europa\u2019s interior ocean could be limited, as well. However, the study was quick to note that other geologic processes could be examined to explain the present state of Europa\u2019s seafloor geologic activity, including processes known as serpentinization and thermal expansion anisotropy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs rock is exposed to water and chemically alters, the new minerals that form may have a different molar volume than the unaltered minerals in the original rock,\u201d Dawson tells <em>Universe Today<\/em>. \u201cSerpentinization specifically is the process where peridotite, a typical mantle rock, is altered to serpentinite. This reaction has a net volume increase, which introduces new stresses. These stresses might lead to the fracturing of the rock, fresh rock faces exposed, and more alteration, leading to a self-propagating cycle. On the other hand, the new minerals might cement up pre-existing fractures, preventing further exposure, and creating a negative feedback loop. Thermal expansion anisotropy describes the process where different minerals have varying degrees of expansion upon heating. Thus, when a rock is heated or cooled, the mineral grains inside will push against each other, introducing porosity and interior stresses.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Life at the Bottom of the Seafloor | The Most Unknown\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oKASxqoVNlo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Regarding the tidal forces responsible for producing Europa\u2019s interior ocean, this icy moon and the Earth\u2019s Moon are not the only planetary bodies in the solar system that could experience these unique forces. Others include Jupiter\u2019s third Galilean Moon, Ganymede, Saturn\u2019s icy moon, Enceladus, and Saturn\u2019s largest moon, Titan, all of which are currently hypothesized to possess interior oceans from tidal heating. Like Europa, Ganymede exhibits a predominantly crater-free surface, which is indicative of frequent resurfacing, and Enceladus was observed on numerous occasions by NASA\u2019s Cassini spacecraft to have geysers on its south pole region that frequently shoots out water into space.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, Cassini flew through these geysers to obtain data on the ejecta\u2019s composition, discovering organic molecules. For Titan, Cassini data revealed that an interior ocean exists beneath its surface, which is currently hypothesized to contain a combination of ammonia and salts. But regarding this most recent research, what follow-up studies are currently being conducted or planned?<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"101 Geysers Discovered On Saturn Moon By Cassini Spacecraft\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0mDWRdbziWM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Dawson tells <em>Universe Today<\/em>, \u201cI\u2019m currently using the same model to estimate whether tidal forces are able to cause fracturing on other icy moons in the outer solar system, such as Ganymede, Enceladus, Titan, and the mid-size Uranian moons. Based on my preliminary results that I presented at LPSC, it appears that tidal forces are insufficient on those moons as well. In addition, our collaborator Austin Green is looking at whether seafloor volcanism might occur, based on the forces that volcanic dikes can exert on the rock that they are propagating through. For Europa, the lithosphere is too deep and too strong for magma to reach the seafloor, and so any melt that forms in the mantle stalls out at depth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite being discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610, the fascination for finding life within Europa\u2019s ocean has only come within the last few decades, thanks largely to the NASA Voyager missions, with Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 flying through the Jupiter system in 1979 and imaged the Galilean Moons up close and in detail for the first time, hinting that Europa was currently geologically active. This is because Europa has almost no visible craters throughout its entire surface, indicating specific processes are responsible for reshaping the small moon and covering up evidence of past impacts. Europa, being the second Galilean Moon, shares these traits with the first and third Galilean Moons, Io and Ganymede, respectively, while the fourth Galilean Moon, Callisto has a surface that is almost entirely covered by craters.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" src=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/072720_LG_jupiter-tidal_feat-1028x579-1-750.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-166262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/072720_LG_jupiter-tidal_feat-1028x579-1-750.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/072720_LG_jupiter-tidal_feat-1028x579-1-750-580x326.jpg 580w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/072720_LG_jupiter-tidal_feat-1028x579-1-750-250x141.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Galilean moons of Jupiter: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. (Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What Secrets Are Hiding on Jupiter&#039;s Moons?\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/M8lUgmV6Bhg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Thanks to further data obtained from proceeding missions, including NASA\u2019s Galileo spacecraft, Hubble Space Telescope, and Juno, scientists are almost entirely convinced that an interior ocean lies beneath Europa\u2019s icy crust, with some estimates putting the volume of liquid water at double of Earth\u2019s oceans. Therefore, as we see on Earth, liquid water means life, which is why Europa\u2019s interior ocean is a target for astrobiology research. But does Henry Dawson think there\u2019s life on Europa?<\/p>\n<p>Dawson tells Universe Today, \u201cI think there\u2019s still a lot more that I would like to understand before I make a yes or no statement on that. While I believe that Europa is one of the most likely candidates to host life, alongside Enceladus, the chance of life remains small, and this research reduces the probability even more.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Searching for Life on Europa? Going Under the Ice\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qxU1VSSka4M?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>This study comes as NASA prepares to launch the Europa Clipper spacecraft this October with a planned arrival date of April 2030 and is designed to explore the habitability potential of Europa and its interior ocean. During its 3.5-year mission, Clipper will perform up to 44 close flybys of Europa ranging between 25 and 2,700 kilometers (16 to 1,678 miles) as the spacecraft will perform elongated orbits to keep from staying within Jupiter\u2019s powerful magnetic field for too long. To assess Europa\u2019s habitability potential, Clipper will carry a powerful suite of scientific instruments designed to analyze Europa\u2019s chemistry, surface geology, and interior ocean characteristics.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/EuropaClipper_Poster_08_2020_002_2__1200-750.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-166261\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/EuropaClipper_Poster_08_2020_002_2__1200-750.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/EuropaClipper_Poster_08_2020_002_2__1200-750-580x387.jpg 580w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/EuropaClipper_Poster_08_2020_002_2__1200-750-250x167.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Artist\u2019s rendition of NASA\u2019s Europa Clipper (published in January 2021). (Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Europa Clipper Spacecraft Update\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nE1LNsDqFSM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Additionally, the European Space Agency\u2019s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission was launched in April 2023 with a planned orbital insertion at Jupiter in July 2031, followed by a departure from Jupiter and an orbital insertion around Ganymede in December 2034. Like Clipper, JUICE is designed to investigate the habitability potential of the icy moon, but will also examine Ganymede and Callisto, as well.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Juice: The ESA&#039;s Mission to Jupiter&#039;s Moons, Explained | WSJ\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eWpYQ6NYRIU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cGet excited for the Europa Clipper and JUICE missions! Dawson exclaims to <em>Universe Today<\/em>. \u201cWhile it will still be 6 years before they reach Jupiter, once they arrive, we will be able to learn much more about what is going on at Europa. While they will not be able to directly measure the interior, observations of the ice shell, gravity field, and tidal forcing on Europa will help to constrain future models. As well, always be careful about the assumptions you make for other planetary bodies. While Europa may be covered with ice, it is truly a rocky world that happens to have a deep ocean, and the processes occurring at depth may not reflect what we see at Earth\u2019s seafloor.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Exploring The Icy Moons of Jupiter. NASA&#039;s Europa Clipper and ESA&#039;s JUICE\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dAW2uPPS2A4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Is Europa\u2019s seafloor geologically active, and what new insights will Europa Clipper and JUICE make about this astonishing and intriguing icy moon in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!<\/p>\n<p><em>As always, keep doing science &amp; keep looking up!<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"sharedaddy sd-block sd-like jetpack-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded\" id=\"like-post-wrapper-24000880-166258-65fce541467b8\" data-src=\"https:\/\/widgets.wp.com\/likes\/?ver=13.2#blog_id=24000880&amp;post_id=166258&amp;origin=www.universetoday.com&amp;obj_id=24000880-166258-65fce541467b8&amp;n=1\" data-name=\"like-post-frame-24000880-166258-65fce541467b8\" data-title=\"Like or Reblog\">\n<h3 class=\"sd-title\">Like this:<\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"button\"><span>Like<\/span><\/span> <span class=\"loading\">Loading&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"sd-text-color\"\/><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/166258\/europa-might-not-be-able-to-support-life-in-its-oceans\/?rand=772204\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Can Europa\u2019s massive, interior ocean contain the building blocks of life, and even support life as we know it? This question is at the forefront of astrobiology discussions as scientists&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":779365,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-779364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-genaero"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/779364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=779364"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/779364\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/779365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=779364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=779364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=779364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}