When
3:45 p.m., Jan. 12, 2016
Where
Kuiper Space Sciences 312
Dr. Catherine C. Walker
NASA Postdoctoral Fellow
Caltech - Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Candidate for faculty position, Earth Dynamics Observatory (comparative planetology)
From the Earth to the Moon(s):
Exploration of Earth's Cryosphere and its Role as Looking Glass for Ice-Ocean Worlds
Europa is one of the most exciting targets in the search for life beyond Earth. With its icy shell above a global ocean, Europa is the ultimate "ice-ocean world", a very dynamic and active place, as evident from its scarred surface. Dynamic processes, of course, are sources of energy that could sustain a biosphere, as Earth’s biosphere is strongly coupled to geologic activity.
A critical question in our understanding of this and other ice-ocean worlds is this: how does the ice shell work? Does it enable interaction of the surface and subsurface? What does the observable surface imply about what lies beneath? Exchange between Europa's surface and subsurface could allow its subsurface ocean material to eventually reach the surface, where it could be detected by spacecraft. The overlying ice shell and entrained water are likely be mediated by melting, accretion, and redistribution at the base of the ice shell, processes not well understood even on Earth. The dynamics involved in the overturn of an ice shell and terrestrial ice shelf can be studied in parallel, and luckily for us, terrestrial polar sites are much more easily accessed than the icy moons - at least for now.
In this presentation, we will explore icy environments on Earth, their remotely- and in-situ-sensed dynamics and relation to the changing climate, and then move on to icy worlds (e.g., Europa) to understand what these Earth analogs might mean for the environment we will likely find there. While we wait for upcoming mission to Europa, looking to our own backyard(s) in Greenland and Antarctica allows us to better prepare and develop techniques to explore dynamics and habitability of ice-ocean worlds not so unlike our own.
NASA Postdoctoral Fellow
Caltech - Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Candidate for faculty position, Earth Dynamics Observatory (comparative planetology)
From the Earth to the Moon(s):
Exploration of Earth's Cryosphere and its Role as Looking Glass for Ice-Ocean Worlds
Europa is one of the most exciting targets in the search for life beyond Earth. With its icy shell above a global ocean, Europa is the ultimate "ice-ocean world", a very dynamic and active place, as evident from its scarred surface. Dynamic processes, of course, are sources of energy that could sustain a biosphere, as Earth’s biosphere is strongly coupled to geologic activity.
A critical question in our understanding of this and other ice-ocean worlds is this: how does the ice shell work? Does it enable interaction of the surface and subsurface? What does the observable surface imply about what lies beneath? Exchange between Europa's surface and subsurface could allow its subsurface ocean material to eventually reach the surface, where it could be detected by spacecraft. The overlying ice shell and entrained water are likely be mediated by melting, accretion, and redistribution at the base of the ice shell, processes not well understood even on Earth. The dynamics involved in the overturn of an ice shell and terrestrial ice shelf can be studied in parallel, and luckily for us, terrestrial polar sites are much more easily accessed than the icy moons - at least for now.
In this presentation, we will explore icy environments on Earth, their remotely- and in-situ-sensed dynamics and relation to the changing climate, and then move on to icy worlds (e.g., Europa) to understand what these Earth analogs might mean for the environment we will likely find there. While we wait for upcoming mission to Europa, looking to our own backyard(s) in Greenland and Antarctica allows us to better prepare and develop techniques to explore dynamics and habitability of ice-ocean worlds not so unlike our own.
General
LPL Colloquium
Undergraduate
Graduate