Habitability constraints by nutrient availability in atmospheres of rocky exoplanets

Author(s): Oliver Herbort, Peter Woitke, Christiane Helling, Aubrey L. Zerkle
Abstract: Life as we know it requires the presence of liquid water and the availability of nutrients, which are mainly based on the elements C, H, N, O, P and S (CHNOPS) and trace metal micronutrients. We aim to understand the presence of these nutrients within atmospheres that show the presence of water cloud condensates, potentially allowing the existence of aerial biospheres. In this paper, we introduce a framework of nutrient availability levels based on the presence of water condensates and the chemical state of the CHNOPS elements. These nutrient availability levels are applied to a set of atmospheric models based on different planetary surface compositions resulting in a range of atmospheric compositions. The atmospheric model is a bottom-to-top equilibrium chemistry atmospheric model which includes the atmosphere-crust interaction and the element depletion due to the formation of clouds. While the reduced forms of CNS are present at the water cloud base for most atmospheric compositions, P and metals are lacking. This indicates the potential bio-availability of CNS, while P and metals are limiting factors for aerial biospheres.
Organisation(s): Department of Astrophysics
External organisation(s): Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften (ÖAW), Technische Universität Graz, Blue Marble Space Institute of Science
Journal: International Journal of Astrobiology
Volume: 23
No. of pages: 18
ISSN: 1473-5504
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1473550424000077
Publication date: 04-2024
Peer reviewed: Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012: 103004 Astrophysics
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Space and Planetary Science, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous), Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)
Portal url: https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/5b18debc-12e8-4fa3-a6ce-653ebb021a01

Back