Speaker: Kiran Chotalia, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida Title: TBA Abstract: TBA Zoom Meeting Details:  Register in advance for this webinar (registration is required for the first attendance only, you will then be automatically registered for all the following seminars.: https://riceuniversity.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vECxt9E3S_K1QS8zejzl3w Link provided in the registration confirmation email Password: CLEVER

Speaker: Dr. Margaret Landis, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado BoulderTitle: The Past, Present, and Future of Lunar Polar VolatilesAbstract:  Planetary atmospheres potentially record a plethora of processes dating from accretion, early bombardment, and subsequent volcanic growth.  Whether for solar system planets or exoplanets, the present-day composition of atmospheres may therefore be a rich archive of information on their geological history.  In the case of warm rocky planets, those without liquid water at their surface, recycling of the volatile elements constituting the atmosphere into the planet’s interior may be or inefficient or entirely inhibited.  In this case, the atmospheres of warm rocky planets may constrain theContinue reading

Speaker: Prof. Joshua Krissansen-Totton, Earth and Space Sciences, University of WashingtonTitle: Developing fully coupled models of terrestrial planet evolution to assess habitability and enable exoplanet life detectionAbstract: Rocky planet evolution is shaped by complex geophysical, geochemical, and astrophysical processes. Interpreting current and future observations of terrestrial exoplanets will require an improved understanding of how these competing influences interact on long timescales. In particular, the interpretation of potential biosignature gases is contingent upon understanding the probable geochemical evolution of lifeless worlds. Here, I will present a generalized model of rocky planet evolution that connects early magma ocean evolution to subsequent, temperateContinue reading

Speaker: Prof. Drew Syverson, University of North Carolina at Charlotte Title: Exploring the chemical and physical controls on the bioavailability of nutrients delivered to seawater from seafloor hydrothermal environments Abstract: Nearly 75% of Earth’s modern tectonic boundaries are located along mid-ocean ridge (MOR) spreading systems, which are host to unique hydrothermal environments that sustain extremophile life while delivering critical nutrients to the marine biosphere at and below the seafloor. These hydrothermal environments on Earth may provide potential insight on geochemical processes that control the habitability of early Earth and of water-rich exoplanets. Yet, our understanding of the physical and chemicalContinue reading

Speaker: Prof. Emily Rauscher, Michigan Institute for Research in Astrophysics, University of Michigan Title: Pushing the Boundaries of Exoplanet Atmospheric Characterization Abstract:  It has been two decades since the first exoplanet atmosphere was detected and in the intervening years multiple methods have been developed to measure exoplanet atmospheric properties. Many of these techniques are complementary, constraining different physical properties or regions of the planet’s atmosphere, and in combination they can give us access to increasingly detailed atmospheric information. In this talk I will focus on two cutting-edge methods for atmospheric characterization: spectral eclipse mapping (from space-based instruments such as JWST) andContinue reading

Speaker: Dr. Yoshinori Miyazaki, Caltech Center for Comparative Planetary Evolution, California Institute of Technology Title: Volatile degassing from the planetary interior and its implication for habitability Abstract: A large amount of volatiles could be stored in the planetary interior, and volatile partitioning between the surface and interior plays a crucial role in characterizing planetary habitability. In this talk, I will consider the geodynamics and mantle degassing during the early stage of planetary evolution, from a magma ocean to the subsequent subsolidus convection stage, to understand how the surface volatile budget is determined on terrestrial planets. We find that, under stagnant-lidContinue reading

Speaker: Claire Guimond, Department of Earth Sciences, Cambridge University Title: Marble planet propensity: Insights from fundamental geophysics Abstract: Undetectable differences in how water is distributed on rocky planets will make or break whether they could support dry land, with big consequences for long-term climate stability and the chemical origin of life. Our sample of one marbled world reveals little about the cosmic probability of this planetary form. Indeed, Earth's land/ocean fraction reflects complex, indeterministic systems tied to its particular tectonic regime. Nevertheless, we can identify more intrinsic processes which promote land or oceans on any rocky planet, and which clue usContinue reading

Speaker: Prof. Jon Wade, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford Title: The irony of planetary habitability Abstract: Planetary habitability – how conducive a planet is to both support and initiate life – has often been interpreted as whether a planet can support liquid water on its surface, and hence its distance from the parent star.  However, we show that the abundance of iron in the planet’s rocky portion, and its bioavailability through geological time, is crucial to planetary habitability. Synthesised at the end of a star’s life, most of our planet’s iron resides in its metallic core, which inContinue reading