There Might Be Oxygen Under Europa’s Ice Sheet

Whether there is life outside of Earth or not has been one of the most curious subjects since the first times when humanity turned its eyes to the sky. Jupiter’s moon europe It stands out as one of the number one candidates in the search for extraterrestrial life.

The presence of a subterranean ocean on ice-covered Europa means that the moon is hot, salty, and in terms of life-enabled chemistry. rich shows that. New research shows that the oxygen of Europa’s icy crust pulled under and here simple life provides new evidence that

Oxygen may be the last piece of understanding Europa’s habitability

Whether there is life in Europa’s subterranean ocean has been a topic of debate for a long time, and that debate remains essentially neutral until NASA sends the Europa Clipper there. europe mission meticulously and NASA accordingly bases some of the design on specific questions that scientists want Clipper to address. NASA designs missions with big questions in mind; however, they can only answer smaller, specific questions. That’s why scientists are studying different aspects of Europa, and to fine-tune the questions the mission should seek answers to. simulations it creates.

If at the heart of one of these questions is ‘oxygen’ is located. Accordingly, it is difficult to understand the habitability of oxygen, Europa. the last part thought to be possible.

All in all, what Europa needs for life to exist. to most believed to have. Eurona, the main component of which is water and has plenty of water in the underground ocean, is even greater than the world’s oceans. more water known to have.

However, this satellite of Jupiter chemical nutrients It is also worth noting that it has. Life needs energy to exist, and Europa’s source of energy is tides from Jupiter, which warms its interior and keeps the ocean from freezing solid; by most scientists a deep-rooted truth is accepted as

The frozen moon’s surface also has oxygen, another interesting sign of habitability. Oxygen on Europa, sunlight, and charged particles from Jupiter on the moon’s surface with a crash being produced.

So how does oxygen reach the ocean from the thick ice sheet?

However, at this point, we come across a small problem. Europa’s thick ice sheet forms a barrier between oxygen and the ocean. The fact that Europa’s surface is frozen solid means that any life form that might have existed there would be beyond the moon. in the endless ocean means it has to be. So how is it possible for oxygen to reach the ocean from the surface? Oxygen can be found in Europa’s icy crust, according to a new study. salt water pools may be transported from the surface to the ocean.

These salty pools are located in the crust, where some ice melts due to convection currents in the ocean. Above these pools, Europa’s famous and photogenic land of chaos exists. the terrain of chaos that covers approximately 25 percent of Europa’s frozen surface; It is stated that it is a place where ridges, cracks, faults and plains intermingle. While there is currently no clear understanding of why the land of chaos exists, it is thought that the reason behind it is likely related to unregulated underground heating and melting.

On the other hand, about the ice sheet of Europa 15 to 25 kilometers It is estimated to be thick. According to a 2011 study, the terrain of chaos on Europa is caused by ice. under 3kmIt is stated that it can be found on large lakes of liquid water. These lakes are not directly connected to the underground ocean; but to the ocean can flow is being considered. According to the aforementioned new research, it is suggested that salty lakes may mix with surface oxygen, and larger amounts of oxygen may accumulate in deeper underground oceans over time.

Marc Hesse, lead author of the study, is a professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at the UT Jackson School of Geosciences. “Our research includes this process. to the realm of the possible stings” says and “Europa offers a solution to what is considered one of the extraordinary problems with the habitability of the subterranean ocean” he adds.

86% of oxygen on Europa’s surface is thought to reach the ocean

However, the researchers show with a simulation how this oxygen reaches the ocean from the ice crust. Accordingly, oxygen-laden brine is a porosity wave It moves towards the subterranean ocean. A wave of porosity carries salt water through the ice by momentarily widening the pores in the ice before quickly closing again, and this process continues for thousands of years. oxygen-rich salt watertakes you to the ocean.

On the other hand, the relationship between the chaos field and oxygen transport is not entirely clear; however, scientists have found that the ice of convective uplift caused by tidal warming is partially that you melted and they think it manifests as a chaotic land of chaos on the surface. Accordingly, for the oxygen-rich brine to flow into the ocean, the ice beneath the brine must have melted or partially melted. Regarding the subject, the authors of the study, “For these salty waters to drain, the ice below permeable must be partially melted. Previous studies show that tidal warming raises the temperature of upward elevations in the carried portion of Europa’s ice crust up to the melting point of pure ice. saves as.

Also, Europa’s surface is quite cold considering it is covered in ice; but it freezes so fast that oxygen cannot be transported in salt water it’s not cold is expressed. Accordingly, it is stated that the temperature at the poles of the satellite never rises above minus 220 C. However, the results of the new model, “re-freezing at the surface is used to stop the drainage of brine and prevent oxidant transmission to the inland ocean. too slow is” is showing. In other words, although the ice on Europa’s surface is frozen solid, the ice underneath is convective, which causes freezing. delays. In fact, according to some studies, the seafloor volcanic It is even claimed that.

According to the study, the oxygen taken up on Europa’s surface is about 86 percentIt is thought to have reached the ocean. That’s much closer to Earth’s, according to the highest estimate produced by the model. similar creates an oxygen-rich ocean. So, is it possible for something to live under the ice sheet? Co-author Steven Vance, a research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and supervisor of Planetary Interiors and Geophysics Group, “It’s tempting to think of some kind of aerobic organism living just under the ice.” saves as.

Data from the Clipper mission will be available in 2034 at the earliest.

Kevin Hand, one of the scientists closely interested in Europa’s life potential and the upcoming Europa Clipper mission, said that Hesse and his fellow researchers have solved the oxygen problem in the oceans of the frozen moon. hopeful means it is. “We know that there are beneficial compounds like oxygen on Europa’s surface, but do these bring it down to the ocean below where life can use them?” Asking a question in the form of Hand, this question “In the work of Hesse and his collaborators, the answer Yup looks like.” he replies.

So what questions might the Clipper mission seek to answer that could confirm these findings? At this point, Clipper’s design is: three big issues focuses on:

• probing the composition of the ocean to determine if it has the necessary components to sustain life
• Exploring the satellite’s geology to understand how the surface was formed, including the chaos field
• Determining the thickness of the ice crust and whether there is liquid water in and below it, as well as determining how the ocean interacts with the surface: Is anything in the ocean rising upward through the crust? Does any material from the surface go down into the ocean?

Of course, we need to wait a while longer to find out the answers to these questions. Europa Clipper October 2024It is planned to be launched in; however, we will have to wait another 5.5 years for it to reach the Jupiter system. The scientific research phase, which will begin after the mission lands on the surface of the satellite, is expected to last up to 4 years. However, it is the earliest to get answers to the above-mentioned questions. in 2034 looks like it will be possible.