Shock
Everett
Shock
Everett
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ArticleOcean system science to inform the exploration of ocean worlds(Oceanography Society, 2022-05-23) German, Christopher R. ; Blackman, Donna K. ; Fisher, Andrew T. ; Girguis, Peter R. ; Hand, Kevin P. ; Hoehler, Tori M. ; Huber, Julie A. ; Marshall, John C. ; Pietro, Kathryn R. ; Seewald, Jeffrey S. ; Shock, Everett ; Sotin, Christophe ; Thurnherr, Andreas M. ; Toner, Brandy M.Ocean worlds provide fascinating opportunities for future ocean research. They allow us to test our understanding of processes we consider fundamental to Earth’s ocean and simultaneously provide motivation to explore our ocean further and develop new technologies to do so. In parallel, ocean worlds research offers opportunities for ocean scientists to provide meaningful contributions to novel investigations in the coming decades that will search for life beyond Earth. Key to the contributions that oceanographers can make to this field is that studies of all other ocean worlds remain extremely data limited. Here, we describe an approach based on ocean systems science in which theoretical modeling can be used, in concert with targeted laboratory experimentation and direct observations in Earth’s ocean, to predict what processes (including those essential to support life) might be occurring on other ocean worlds. In turn, such an approach would help identify new technologies that might be required for future space missions as well as appropriate analog studies that could be conducted on Earth to develop and validate such technologies. Our approach is both integrative and interdisciplinary and considers multiple domains, from processes active in the subseafloor to those associated with ocean-ice feedbacks.
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ArticlePhosphate availability and implications for life on ocean worlds(Nature Research, 2023-04-25) Randolph-Flagg, Noah G. ; Ely, Tucker ; Som, Sanjoy M. ; Shock, Everett L. ; German, Christopher R. ; Hoehler, Tori M.Several moons in the outer solar system host liquid water oceans. A key next step in assessing the habitability of these ocean worlds is to determine whether life's elemental and energy requirements are also met. Phosphorus is required by all known life and is often limited to biological productivity in Earth's oceans. This raises the possibility that its availability may limit the abundance or productivity of Earth-like life on ocean worlds. To address this potential problem, here we calculate the equilibrium dissolved phosphate concentrations associated with the reaction of water and rocks-a key driver of ocean chemical evolution-across a broad range of compositional inputs and reaction conditions. Equilibrium dissolved phosphate concentrations range from 10-11 to 10-1 mol/kg across the full range of carbonaceous chondrite compositions and reaction conditions considered, but are generally > 10-5 mol/kg for most plausible scenarios. Relative to the phosphate requirements and uptake kinetics of microorganisms in Earth's oceans, such concentrations would be sufficient to support initially rapid cell growth and construction of global ocean cell populations larger than those observed in Earth's deep oceans.