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2010 Annual Science Report

VPL at University of Washington Reporting  |  SEP 2009 – AUG 2010

Executive Summary

The Virtual Planetary Laboratory

The Virtual Planetary Laboratory is an interdisciplinary research effort focused on answering a single key question in astrobiology: If we were to find a terrestrial planet orbiting a distant star, how would we go about recognizing signs of habitability and life on that planet? This question is relevant to the search for life beyond our Solar System, and the steps towards that are outlined in NASA’s Astrobiology Roadmap Goals 1 and 7. VPL research spans many of the Roadmap objectives, but is most relevant to Objectives 1.1 (Formation and Evolution of Habitable Planets), 1.2 (Indirect and Direct Observations of Extrasolar Habitable Planets) and 7.2 (Biosignatures to be Sought in Nearby Planetary Systems).

Recent observations have brought us much closer to identifying extrasolar environments that could support life. The discovery earlier this year of the planet Gl 581g ... Continue reading.

Field Sites
31 Institutions
18 Project Reports
138 Publications
3 Field Sites
Roadmap
Objectives

Project Reports

  • Thermodynamic Efficiency of Electron-Transfer Reactions in the Chlorophyll D-Containing Cyanobacterium, Acharyochloris Marina

    Photosynthesis produces planetary-scale biosignatures – atmospheric oxygen and the color of photosynthetic pigments. It is expected to be successful on habitable extrasolar planets as well, due to the ubiquity of starlight as an energy source. How might photosynthetic pigments adapt to alternative environments? Could oxygenic photosynthesis occur at much longer wavelengths than the red? This project is approaching these questions by using a laser technique to study the recently discovered cyanobacterium, Acaryochloris marina, which uses the chlorophyll d pigment to perform its photosynthesis at wavelengths longer than those used by the much more prevalent chlorophyll a. Whether A. marina is operating more efficiently or less than Chl a-utilizing organisms will indicate what wavelengths are the ultimate limit for oxygenic photosynthesis.

    ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.2 4.2 5.1 5.3 6.2 7.2
  • Dynamical Effects on Planetary Habitability

    VPL explored numerous features of orbits. We showed that comets are unlikely to have produced more than 1 mass extinction event in the past 500 million years. We catalogued the fractions of habitable zones of nearby stars that are capable of supporting a habitable planet. We also participated in the discovery of two planets whose orbital planes are offset by 30 degrees.

    ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 4.3
  • Postdoctoral Fellow Report: Mark Claire

    I am interested in how biological gases affect the atmosphere of Earth (and possibly other planets.) Specifically, I use computer models to investigate how biogenic sulfur gases might build up in a planetary atmosphere, and if this would lead to observable traces in Earth’s rock record or in the atmospheres of planets around other stars. I’ve also worked on how perchlorate formed in Earth’s Atacama desert as an attempt to explain how perchlorate formed on Mars

    ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 2.1 4.1 7.2
  • AbGradCon 2010

    The Astrobiology Graduate Student conference is a conference organized by astrobiology graduate students for astrobiology grad students. It provides a comfortable peer forum in which to communicate and discuss research progress and ideas.

    ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 2.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 4.1 4.2 4.3 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 6.2 7.1 7.2
  • Postdoctoral Fellow Report: Steven Mielke

    This project seeks to resolve the long-wavelength limit of oxygenic photosynthesis in order to constrain the range of extrasolar environments in which spectral signatures of biogenic oxygen might be found, and thereby guide future planet detecting and characterizing observatories.

    ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 5.1 6.1 6.2 7.2
  • VPL Databases, Model Interfaces and the Community Tool

    The Virtual Planetary Laboratory develops modeling tools and provides a collaborative framework for scientists from many disciplines to coordinate research on the environments of extrasolar planets. As part of this framework, the VPL acts as a central repository for planetary models and the inputs required to generate those results. Developing a comprehensive storehouse of input data for computer simulations is key to successful collaboration and comparison of the models. As part of the on-going VPL Community Tools, we are developing a comprehensive database of molecular, stellar, pigment, and mineral spectra useful in developing extrasolar planet climate models and interpreting the results of NASAs current and future planet-finding missions. The result, called the Virtual Planetary Spectral Library, provides a common source of input data for modelers and a single source of comparison data for observers.

    ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2
  • Understanding Past Earth Environments

    We study the chemical and climate evolution of the Earth as the best available proxy for what other inhabited planets might be like. A particular focus is on the “Early Earth” (formation through to the 1.6 billion years ago) which is poorly represented in the geological record but comprises half of Earth’s history. We have studied the total pressure of the Archean atmosphere (prior to 2.5 billion years ago), developed constraints on CO2 concentration, studied the oxygen and nitrogen cycles, the fractionation of sulfur isotopes and explored the effect of hazes on early Earth climate.

    ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 4.1 4.2 5.1 5.2 6.1
  • The VPL Life Modules

    The Life Modules of the VPL are concerned with the modeling of biosphere processes for coupling with the VPL’s atmospheric and planetary models. These coupled models enable simulation of the impact of biogenic gases on atmospheric composition, of biota on the surface energy balance, and of the detectability of these in planetary spectra. The Life Modules team has engaged in previous work coupling 1D models in the VPL’s suite of planetary models, and current work now focuses on biosphere models coupled to 3D general circulation models (GCMs). Current project areas are: 1) development of a model of land-based ecosystem dynamics suitable for coupling with GCMs and generalizable for alternative planetary parameters, and 2) coupling of an ocean biogeochemistry model to GCMs.

    ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.2 6.1 6.2 7.2
  • Earth as an Extrasolar Planet

    Earth is the only known planet that can support life on its surface, and serves as our only example of what a habitable planet looks like. This task uses distant observations of the Earth taken from spacecraft combined with a sophisticated computer model of the Earth to understand the appearance and characteristics of a habitable planet. With our model, we can generate accurate simulations of the Earth’s brightness, color and spectrum, when viewed at different time-intervals, and from different vantage points. We are using these simulations to understand how we might detect signs of an ocean on a distant planet, and to understand the limitations of surface temperature measurements when a planet has significant cloud cover.

    ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.2 7.2
  • Stromatolites in the Desert: Analogs to Other Worlds

    In this task biologists go to field sites in Mexico to better understand the environmental effects on growth rates for freshwater stromatolites. Stromatolites are microbial mat communities that have the ability to calcify under certain conditions. They are believed to be an ancient form of life, that may have dominated the planet’s biosphere more than 2 billion years ago. Our work focuses on understanding these communities as a means of characterizing their metabolisms and gas outputs, for use in planetary models of ancient environments.

    ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 4.2 5.2 5.3 6.1 6.2
  • Stellar Effects on Planetary Habitability

    Habitable environments are most likely to exist in close proximity to a star, and hence a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the effect of the star on planetary habitability is crucial in the pursuit of an inhabited world. We looked at how the Sun’s brightness would have changed with time. We also model how stars with different masses, temperatures and flare activity affect the habitability of planets, including looking at the effect of a very big flare on a planet’s atmosphere and surface. We find that a planet with an atmosphere like Earth orbiting around a cool red star is fairly well protected from UV radiation, but particles associated with the flare can produce damaging chemistry in the planetary atmosphere that severely depletes the planet’s ozone layer.

    ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 2.1 4.1 4.3 5.3 6.1 7.2
  • Super-Earth Atmospheres

    In this task we use computer models to study aspects of the atmospheres of extrasolar super-Earths, planets that orbit other stars that are 2-10 times more massive than the Earth. Significant progress was made this year on three models, one that calculates how the atmosphere of the super-Earth is affected by radiative and particles coming from its parent star, one that calculates the surface temperature and change in atmospheric temperature with altitude for superEarth atmospheres and another that can model the synthetic spectrum of a superEarth when it passes in front of its star as seen from Earth.

    ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 3.1
  • Formation of Terrestrial Planets

    This past year VPL has continued to explore key unknowns in our understanding of terrestrial planet formation. We have performed supercomputer simulations of the early formation of the Earth, and found that it can proceed more quickly than previously appreciated and suggests terrestrial exoplanets may be common. We also showed how the shape of belts of asteroids in the outer reaches of planetary systems, which can be directly observable, provide clues to the layout of the interior planets, which are often not observable.

    ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 3.1 4.3
  • Delivery of Volatiles to Terrestrial Planets

    Habitable planets are too small to trap gases from the planet-forming disk. Their oceans and atmospheres must originate in the planetesimals from which the planet is built. In this task, we explore how, when, and from where Earth, Mars and habitable worlds around other stars can accumulate water and organic carbon. The main challenge is that water and organic carbon are relatively volatile elements (compared to rock and metal). Therefore, during the period of time in which solids condensed at the current position of Earth, water and carbon would have been mainly in the gas phase. Getting these materials to the habitable zone requires that material from further out in the disk would be transported inward. Another challenge is that upon reaching the Earth, both large and small suffer severe heating during atmospheric entry. We also have investigated the fate of these compounds upon release into the atmosphere.

    ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 3.1 4.1 4.3
  • Detectability of Biosignatures

    In this project VPL team members explore the nature and detectability of biosignatures, global signs of life in the atmosphere or on the surface of a planet. Work this year focused on the build up and detectability of sulfur-based biosignatures in early Earth-like atmospheres, especially for planets orbiting stars cooler than our Sun. We also explored the potential non-biological generation of oxygen and ozone in early Earth-like atmospheres, which could result in a “false positives” for photosynthetic life. In parallel, we worked on acquiring and getting running two simulators for telescopes that will one day be able to observe and determine the properties of extrasolar terrestrial planets.

    ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 4.1 6.2
  • Astronomical Observations of Planetary Atmospheres and Exoplanets

    This task encompasses remote-sensing observations of Solar System and extrasolar planets made by the VPL team. These observations, while providing scientific exploration in its own right, also allow us to test our planetary models and help advance techniques to retrieve information from the astronomical data that we obtain. This can include improving our understanding of the accuracy of inputs into our models, such as spectral databases. This year we made and/or analyzed observations of Venus and Titan taken by ground-based and spaceborne observatories, and improved models for extrasolar hot Jupiters.

    ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.2 2.2
  • Planetary Surface and Interior Models and SuperEarths

    We use computer models to simulate the evolution of the interior and the surface of real and hypothetical planets around other stars. Our goal is to work out what sorts of initial characteristics are most likely to contribute to making a planet habitable in the long run. Observations in our own Solar System show us that water and other essential materials are continuously consumed via weathering (and other processes) and must be replenished from the planet’s interior via volcanic activity to maintain a biosphere. The surface models we are developing will be used to predict how gases and other materials will be trapped through weathering over time. Our interior models are designed to predict how much and what sort of materials will come to a planet’s surface through volcanic activity throughout its history.

    ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 4.1 5.2 6.1
  • Understanding the Early Mars Environment

    In 2009-2010, VPL’s investigations into Mars were carried out in two major themes: investigation of the how the climate and chemistry of early Mars might (or might not) allow liquid water at the surface, and follow up science to the surprising discovery of perchlorate by NASA’s 2008 Phoenix Lander. VPL determined that, contrary to previous thought, SO2 could not keep early Mars warm, due to the inevitable formation of sulfate aerosols which counteract any warming due to SO2. Investigations into the formation of perchlorate in Earth’s deserts provide clues towards potential formation of Martian perchlorate, and specific predictions were made to all for future rovers to discriminate between evaporated versus frozen perchlorate minerals.

    ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1

Education & Public Outreach

Publications

  • Bailey, J., Ahlsved, L., & Meadows, V. S. (2011). The near-IR spectrum of Titan modeled with an improved methane line list. Icarus, 213(1), 218–232. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2011.02.009

  • Barnes, R., Quinn, T. R., Lissauer, J. J., & Richardson, D. C. (2009). N-Body simulations of growth from 1km planetesimals at 0.4AU. Icarus, 203(2), 626–643. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2009.03.042

  • Barnes, R., Raymond, S. N., Greenberg, R., Jackson, B., & Kaib, N. A. (2010). CoRoT-7b: SUPER-EARTH OR SUPER-Io?. The Astrophysical Journal, 709(2), L95–L98. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/709/2/l95

  • Benedict, G. F., McArthur, B. E., Bean, J. L., Barnes, R., Harrison, T. E., Hatzes, A., … Nelan, E. P. (2010). THE MASS OF HD 38529c FROM HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE ASTROMETRY AND HIGH-PRECISION RADIAL VELOCITIES. The Astronomical Journal, 139(5), 1844–1856. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/139/5/1844

  • Buick, R. (2010). Early life: Ancient acritarchs. Nature, 463(7283), 885–886. doi:10.1038/463885a

  • Catling, D. C., & Zahnle, K. J. (2009). The Planetary Air Leak. Scientific American, 300(5), 36–43. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0509-36

  • Catling, D. C., Claire, M. W., Zahnle, K. J., Quinn, R. C., Clark, B. C., Hecht, M. H., & Kounaves, S. (2010). Atmospheric origins of perchlorate on Mars and in the Atacama. Journal of Geophysical Research, 115. doi:10.1029/2009je003425

  • Cerritos, R., Eguiarte, L. E., Avitia, M., Siefert, J., Travisano, M., Rodríguez-Verdugo, A., & Souza, V. (2010). Diversity of culturable thermo-resistant aquatic bacteria along an environmental gradient in Cuatro Ciénegas, Coahuila, México. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, 99(2), 303–318. doi:10.1007/s10482-010-9490-9

  • Cowan, N. B., Agol, E., Meadows, V. S., Robinson, T., Livengood, T. A., Deming, D., … Charbonneau, D. (2009). ALIEN MAPS OF AN OCEAN-BEARING WORLD. The Astrophysical Journal, 700(2), 915–923. doi:10.1088/0004-637x/700/2/915

  • Dadic, R., Light, B., & Warren, S. G. (2010). Migration of air bubbles in ice under a temperature gradient, with application to “Snowball Earth”. Journal of Geophysical Research, 115(D18), None. doi:10.1029/2010jd014148

  • Domagal-Goldman, S. D., Meadows, V. S., Claire, M. W., & Kasting, J. F. (2011). Using Biogenic Sulfur Gases as Remotely Detectable Biosignatures on Anoxic Planets. Astrobiology, 11(5), 419–441. doi:10.1089/ast.2010.0509

  • Dressing, C. D., Spiegel, D. S., Scharf, C. A., Menou, K., & Raymond, S. N. (2010). HABITABLE CLIMATES: THE INFLUENCE OF ECCENTRICITY. The Astrophysical Journal, 721(2), 1295–1307. doi:10.1088/0004-637x/721/2/1295

  • Fleming, S. W., Ge, J., Mahadevan, S., Lee, B., Eastman, J. D., Siverd, R. J., … Watters, S. (2010). DISCOVERY OF A LOW-MASS COMPANION TO A METAL-RICH F STAR WITH THE MARVELS PILOT PROJECT. The Astrophysical Journal, 718(2), 1186–1199. doi:10.1088/0004-637x/718/2/1186

  • Goldblatt, C., & Zahnle, K. J. (2010). Clouds and the Faint Young Sun Paradox. Climate of the Past Discussions, 6(3), 1163–1207. doi:10.5194/cpd-6-1163-2010

  • Goldblatt, C., Claire, M. W., Lenton, T. M., Matthews, A. J., Watson, A. J., & Zahnle, K. J. (2009). Nitrogen-enhanced greenhouse warming on early Earth. Nature Geosci, 2(12), 891–896. doi:10.1038/ngeo692

  • Goldblatt, C., Zahnle, K. J., Sleep, N. H., & Nisbet, E. G. (2009). The Eons of Chaos and Hades. Solid Earth Discuss., 1(1), 47–53. doi:10.5194/sed-1-47-2009

  • Halevy, I., Johnston, D. T., & Schrag, D. P. (2010). Explaining the Structure of the Archean Mass-Independent Sulfur Isotope Record. Science, 329(5988), 204–207. doi:10.1126/science.1190298

  • Heller, R., Jackson, B., Barnes, R., Greenberg, R., & Homeier, D. (2010). Tidal effects on brown dwarfs: application to the eclipsing binary 2MASS J05352184-0546085. A&A, 514, A22. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/200912826

  • Jackson, B., Miller, N., Barnes, R., Raymond, S. N., Fortney, J. J., & Greenberg, R. (2010). The roles of tidal evolution and evaporative mass loss in the origin of CoRoT-7 b. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 407(2), 910–922. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.17012.x

  • Jones, H. R. A., Butler, R. P., Tinney, C. G., O’Toole, S., Wittenmyer, R., Henry, G. W., … Jenkins, J. S. (2010). A long-period planet orbiting a nearby Sun-like star. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 403(4), 1703–1713. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2009.16232.x

  • Kaib, N. A., & Quinn, T. (2009). Reassessing the Source of Long-Period Comets. Science, 325(5945), 1234–1236. doi:10.1126/science.1172676

  • Kasting, J. F. (2010). Early Earth: Faint young Sun redux. Nature, 464(7289), 687–689. doi:10.1038/464687a

  • Kopparapu, R. K., & Barnes, R. (2010). STABILITY ANALYSIS OF SINGLE-PLANET SYSTEMS AND THEIR HABITABLE ZONES. The Astrophysical Journal, 716(2), 1336–1344. doi:10.1088/0004-637x/716/2/1336

  • Kress, M. E., Tielens, A. G. G. M., & Frenklach, M. (2010). The ‘soot line’: Destruction of presolar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the terrestrial planet-forming region of disks. Advances in Space Research, 46(1), 44–49. doi:10.1016/j.asr.2010.02.004

  • Lunine, J. I., O’Brien, D. P., Raymond, S. N., Morbidelli, A., Quinn, T., & Graps, A. L. (2011). Dynamical Models of Terrestrial Planet Formation. Advanced Science Letters, 4(2), 325–338. doi:10.1166/asl.2011.1212

  • Marion, G. M., Catling, D. C., Zahnle, K. J., & Claire, M. W. (2010). Modeling aqueous perchlorate chemistries with applications to Mars. Icarus, 207(2), 675–685. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2009.12.003

  • McArthur, B. E., Benedict, G. F., Barnes, R., Martioli, E., Korzennik, S., Nelan, E., & Paul Butler, R. (2010). NEW OBSERVATIONAL CONSTRAINTS ON THE υ ANDROMEDAE SYSTEM WITH DATA FROM THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE AND HOBBY-EBERLY TELESCOPE. The Astrophysical Journal, 715(2), 1203–1220. doi:10.1088/0004-637x/715/2/1203

  • Ni-Meister, W., Yang, W., & Kiang, N. Y. (2010). A clumped-foliage canopy radiative transfer model for a global dynamic terrestrial ecosystem model. I: Theory. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 150(7-8), 881–894. doi:10.1016/j.agrformet.2010.02.009

  • O’Toole, S. J., Jones, H. R. A., Tinney, C. G., Butler, R. P., Marcy, G. W., Carter, B., … Wittenmyer, R. A. (2009). THE FREQUENCY OF LOW-MASS EXOPLANETS. The Astrophysical Journal, 701(2), 1732–1741. doi:10.1088/0004-637x/701/2/1732

  • Quinn, T., Perrine, R. P., Richardson, D. C., & Barnes, R. (2010). A SYMPLECTIC INTEGRATOR FOR HILL’S EQUATIONS. The Astronomical Journal, 139(2), 803–807. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/139/2/803

  • Raymond, S. N., Armitage, P. J., & Gorelick, N. (2010). PLANET-PLANET SCATTERING IN PLANETESIMAL DISKS. II. PREDICTIONS FOR OUTER EXTRASOLAR PLANETARY SYSTEMS. The Astrophysical Journal, 711(2), 772–795. doi:10.1088/0004-637x/711/2/772

  • Ribas, I., Guinan, E. F., Gudel, M., & Audard, M. (2005). Evolution of the Solar Activity over Time and Effects on Planetary Atmospheres. I. High‐Energy Irradiances (1–1700 A). The Astrophysical Journal, 622(1), 680–694. doi:10.1086/427977

  • Robinson, T. D., Meadows, V. S., & Crisp, D. (2010). DETECTING OCEANS ON EXTRASOLAR PLANETS USING THE GLINT EFFECT. The Astrophysical Journal, 721(1), L67–L71. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/721/1/l67

  • Robinson, T. D., Meadows, V. S., Crisp, D., Deming, D., A’Hearn, M. F., Charbonneau, D., … Wellnitz, D. D. (2011). Earth as an Extrasolar Planet: Earth Model Validation Using EPOXI Earth Observations. Astrobiology, 11(5), 393–408. doi:10.1089/ast.2011.0642

  • Rosing, M. T., Bird, D. K., Sleep, N. H., & Bjerrum, C. J. (2010). No climate paradox under the faint early Sun. Nature, 464(7289), 744–747. doi:10.1038/nature08955

  • Segura, A., Walkowicz, L. M., Meadows, V., Kasting, J., & Hawley, S. (2010). The Effect of a Strong Stellar Flare on the Atmospheric Chemistry of an Earth-like Planet Orbiting an M Dwarf. Astrobiology, 10(7), 751–771. doi:10.1089/ast.2009.0376

  • Sleep, N. H. (2009). Stagnant lid convection and carbonate metasomatism of the deep continental lithosphere. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., 10(11), n/a–n/a. doi:10.1029/2009gc002702

  • Sleep, N. H. (2010). The Hadean-Archaean Environment. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology, 2(6), a002527–a002527. doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a002527

  • Spiegel, D. S., Raymond, S. N., Dressing, C. D., Scharf, C. A., & Mitchell, J. L. (2010). GENERALIZED MILANKOVITCH CYCLES AND LONG-TERM CLIMATIC HABITABILITY. The Astrophysical Journal, 721(2), 1308–1318. doi:10.1088/0004-637x/721/2/1308

  • Tian, F., Claire, M. W., Haqq-Misra, J. D., Smith, M., Crisp, D. C., Catling, D., … Kasting, J. F. (2010). Photochemical and climate consequences of sulfur outgassing on early Mars. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 295(3-4), 412–418. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2010.04.016

  • Ueno, Y., Johnson, M. S., Danielache, S. O., Eskebjerg, C., Pandey, A., & Yoshida, N. (2009). Geological sulfur isotopes indicate elevated OCS in the Archean atmosphere, solving faint young sun paradox. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(35), 14784–14789. doi:10.1073/pnas.0903518106

  • Vogt, S. S., Wittenmyer, R. A., Butler, R. P., O’Toole, S., Henry, G. W., Rivera, E. J., … Batygin, K. (2009). A SUPER-EARTH AND TWO NEPTUNES ORBITING THE NEARBY SUN-LIKE STAR 61 VIRGINIS. The Astrophysical Journal, 708(2), 1366–1375. doi:10.1088/0004-637x/708/2/1366

  • Yang, W., Ni-Meister, W., Kiang, N. Y., Moorcroft, P. R., Strahler, A. H., & Oliphant, A. (2010). A clumped-foliage canopy radiative transfer model for a Global Dynamic Terrestrial Ecosystem Model II: Comparison to measurements. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 150(7-8), 895–907. doi:10.1016/j.agrformet.2010.02.008

  • Zugger, M. E., Kasting, J. F., Williams, D. M., Kane, T. J., & Philbrick, C. R. (2010). LIGHT SCATTERING FROM EXOPLANET OCEANS AND ATMOSPHERES. The Astrophysical Journal, 723(2), 1168–1179. doi:10.1088/0004-637x/723/2/1168

  • Anbar.  (2010).  ``An Archean Biosphere Initiative”.
  • Barnes, R.  (2010).  Formation and Evolution of Exoplanets.  Wiley-VCH. Berlin.
  • Barnes, R.  (2010).  Planet-Planet Interactions.  In: Barnes, R. (Eds.).  In Formation and Evolution of Exoplanets.  Berlin: Wiley-VCH Publishing.
  • Barnes, R.  (2010).  Tidal Constraints on Planetary Habitability.  NAI Workshop ``Revisiting the Habitable Zone,’'.  Seattle, WA.
  • Barnes, R., Jackson, B., Greenberg, R., Raymond, S.N. & Heller, R.  (2010).  Tidal Constraints on Planetary Habitability, in Pathways Toward Habitable Planets,.  Pathways Toward Habitable Planets.  ASPC.
  • Barnes, R., Jackson, B., Heller, R., Greenberg, R. & Raymond, S.N.  (2010).  Tidal Effects on the Habitability of Exoplanets: The Case of GJ 581 d.  Astrobiology Science Conference 2010: Evolution and Life: Surviving Catastrophes and Extremes on Earth and Beyond.
  • Barnes, R., Jackson, B., Raymond, S. & Greenberg, R.  (2010).  The Role of Planetary System Architecture in Planetary Habitability.  Am. Astron. Soc. Meeting # 216.  Miami, FL.
  • Breiner, J., Domagal-Goldman, S. & Claire, M.W.  (2009).  Modeling rainout on ancient Mars as a function of atmospheric forcings.  AGU Fall Meeting.  San Francisco, CA.
  • Buick, R.  (2010).  The early evolution of photosynthesis [Public Talk 05/27/2010].  Invited Seminar.
  • Buick, R.  (2010).  The early evolution of the biogeochemical nitrogen cycle [Public Talk 05/17/2010].  Seminar (Invited).
  • Catling, D.C. & Bergsman, D.S.  (2010).  On detecting exoplanet biospheres from atmospheric chemical disequilibrium.  Astrobiology Science Conference.
  • Catling, D.C.  (2009).  Atmospheric evolution of Mars.  In: Gornitz, V. (Eds.).  Encyclopedia of Paleoclimatology and Ancient Environments.  Springer, Dordrecht.
  • Catling, D.C.  (Submitted (2010)).  Oxygenation of the Earth’s atmosphere.  In: Gargaud, M. (Eds.).  Encyclopedia of Astrobiology.  Springer.
  • Claire, M. & Kasting, J.  (2010).  `The Magnitude of Atmospheric Sulfur Mass-Independent Fractionation”.  ABSciCon 2010.
  • Claire, M. & Kasting, J.  (2010).  ``Variations in the Magnitude of Non Mass Dependent Sulfur Fractionation in the Archean Atmosphere”.
  • Claire, M. & Kasting, J.  (2010a).  The Magnitude of Atmospheric Sulfur Mass-Independent Fractionation.  ABSciCon.  Houston, TX.
  • Claire, M. & Kasting, J.  (2010b).  Variations in the Magnitude of Non Mass Dependent Sulfur Fractionation in the Archean Atmosphere’.  Goldschmidt.  Knoxville, TN.
  • Claire, M., Catling, D. & Cohen, M.  (2010).  ``The Evolution Of Solar Flux From 2nm To 160 Microns: Quantitative Estimates For Planetary Studies’.  Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 41: p. 433.
  • Claire, M., Catling, D. & Cohen, M.  (2010).  ``The Evolution Of Solar Flux From 2nm To 160 Microns: Quantitative Estimates For Planetary Studies”.
  • Crow, C., McFadden, L.A., Robinson, T., Meadows, V., Livengood, T.A., Hewagama, T., Barry, R.K., Deming, L.D. & Lisse, C.M.  (2010).  American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #42.
  • Danielache, S.O., Eskebjerg, C., Johnson, M.S., Ueno, Y. & Yoshida, N.  (2008).  High-precision spectroscopy of S-32, S-33, and S-34 sulfur dioxide: Ultraviolet absorption cross sections and isotope effects.  Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 113(D17): -.  doi:Artn D17314 Doi 10.1029/2007jd009695
  • Demarines, J., Cash, W., Domagal-Goldman, S. & Meadows, V.  (2010).  Remote Detection of Biosignatures of Primitive and Evolved Life on Extrasolar Planets.
  • Domagal-Goldman, S., Meadows, V.S., Kasting, J. & Claire, M.  (2010).  Astronomical Biosignatures for Sulfur-Rich Anoxic Biospheres.
  • Domagal-Goldman, S.D. & Meadows, V.S.  (2010).  False positives for life: A new meathod for abiotic ozone accumulation in exoplanet atmospheres.
  • Evans, N., Meadows, V.S. & Domagal-Goldman, S.  (2010).  Exploring the Detectability of Terrestrial Exoplanet Characteristics.
  • Fleming, S.W.  (2010).  Binary Science from the MARVELS Pilot Project: Detection of a Candidate Substellar Companion and Identification of Eclipsing Binaries with Archival SuperWASP Data.  Am. Astron. Soc. Meeting # 215.  Washington, DC.
  • Garvin, J., Buick, R., Anbar, A.D., Arnold, G.L. & Kaufman, A.J.  (2009).  Response to “Analysis of Archean Nitrogen Isotopic Data”.  Science.
  • Greenberg, R. & Jackson, B.  (2009).  Tidal Heating and the Boundaries of the Habitable Zone.  Am. Geophys. U.  San Francisco, CA.
  • Güdel, M. & Kasting, J.F.  (In Press).  The young Sun and its influence on planetary atmospheres.  In: Gargaud, M., Lopez-Garcia, P. & Martin, H. (Eds.).  Origin of Life: an Astrobiology Perspective.  Cambridge Univ. Press.
  • Haqq-Misra, J.  (2010).  A Meteorological Condition for Atmospheric Stability on Synchronously Rotating Planets (Abstract).  Revisiting the Habitable Zone.  Talaris Conference Center, Seattle, WA.
  • Iraci, M.E.K.C.L.B.G.D.C.A.R.P.L.T.  (2010).  “Atmospheric chemistry of micrometeoritic organic compounds”.  Meteoroids 2010.  Breckenridge, CO.
  • Jackson, B., Barnes, R. & Greenberg, R.  (2010).  Tides and Exoplanets.  In: Barnes, R. (Eds.).  In Formation and Evolution of Exoplanets,.  Berlin: Wiley-VCH Publishing.
  • Jackson, B., Barnes, R., Raymond, S., Fortney, J. & Greenberg, R.  (2010).  Is CoRoT-7 B the Remnant Core of an Evaporated Gas Giant?  Am. Astron. Soc. Meeting \# 215.
  • Jackson, B., Raymond, S., Greenberg, R. & Barnes, R.  (2009).  Effects of Secular, Resonant and Tidal Perturbations on Planetary Habitability.  Am. Astron. Soc. Div. Plan. Sci. Meeting #41.  Fajardo, PR.
  • Jackson, B., Raymond, S., Greenberg, R. & Barnes, R.  (2009).  The Role of Planetary System Architecture in Planetary Habitability.  Am. Geophys. U.  San Francisco, CA.
  • Kasting, J.F.  (2010).  How to Find a Habitable Planet.  Princeton, NJ: Princeton University.
  • Kasting, J.F.  (2010).  How to find a habitable planet, in Pathways Towards Habitable Planets.  ASP Conf. Series.  Astron. Soc. Pacific, San Francisco.
  • Kasting, J.F.  (2010).  Stellar radiative effects on habitable zones.  Workshop on Redefining the Habitable Zone.  Seattle, WA.
  • Kasting, J.F.  (In Press).  How to find a habitable planet.  Pathways Towards Habitable Planets.
  • Kasting, J.F.  (In Press).  The global O2 cycle.  In: Konhauser, K., Knoll, A. & Canfield, D. (Eds.).  Fundamentals of Geobiology.  Blackwell.
  • Khalfa, N., Meadows, V.S. & Domagal-Goldman, S.D.  (2009).  Optimizing Spectral Resolution and Observation Time for Measurements of Habitability.  AGU Fall Meeting.
  • Kiang, N.  (2010).  The Virtual Planetary Laboratory Spectral Library.  International Congress of Photosynthesis.  Beijing, China.
  • Kiang, N.Y., Aleinov, I., Ni-Meister, W., Moorcroft, P.R. & Koster, R.  (2010).  Coupled Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs) for Climate Simulations and Data to Constrain Them [Public Talk September 16, 2010].  Science Visitor and Colloquium Program – Earth Science Seminar Series.
  • Kiang, N.Y., Mielke, S., Mauzerall, D., Blankenship, R.E. & Gunner, M.  (2009).  Efficiency of photon energy use for life processes: implications for spectral biosignatures [Public Talk November 10-13, 2009].  Innovative Approaches to Exoplanet Spectra Workshop.
  • Kiang, N.Y., Mielke, S., Mauzerall, D., Blankenship, R.E. & Gunner, M.  (2009).  Efficiency of photon energy use for life processes: implications for spectral biosignatures [Public Talk November 19, 2009].  Center for Exoplanet Science Colloquium.
  • Kiang, N.Y., Yang, W.Z., Ni-Meister, W., Moorcroft, P.R. & Aleinov, I.  (2009).  Vegetation community structure in a mixed-canopy dynamic global terrestrial ecosystem model: sensitivity of biosphere-atmosphere exchange to canopy vertical stratification and demography [Public Talk December 13-17, 2009].  American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting.
  • Kopparapu, R. & Barnes, R.  (2009).  Dynamical Stability of Terrestrial Mass Planets in and Around the Habitable Zones of Single Planet Systems.  Am. Geophys. U.  San Francisco, CA.
  • Kopparapu, R. & Barnes, R.  (2010).  Dynamical Stability of Terrestrial Mass Planets in and Around the Habitable Zones of Single Planet Systems.  NAI Workshop ``Revisiting the Habitable Zone,’'.  Seattle, WA.
  • Kopparapu, R. & Barnes, R.  (2010).  Dynamical Stability of Terrestrial Mass Planets in and around the Habitable Zones of Single Planet Systems.  Am. Astron. Soc. Meeting \# 215.  Washington, DC.
  • Kress, A.P.M.  (2010).  “Modeling the entry of micrometeoroids into the atmospheres of Earth-like planets”.  Meteoroids 2010.  Breckenridge, CO.
  • Kress, M.T.M.E.  (2010).  “A numerical study of micrometeoroids entering Titan’s atmosphere”.  Meteoroids 2010.  Breckenridge, CO.
  • Kress, R.T.C.P.S.J.M.E.  (2010).  “Constraining the drag coefficients of meteors in dark flight”.  Meteoroids 2010.  Breckenridge, CO.
  • Kundurthy, P.  (2010).  Results From The APO Survey Of Transit Lightcurves of Exoplanets (APOSTLE).  Am. Astron. Soc. Meeting # 215.  Washington, DC.
  • Lee, B.W.  (2010).  TYC 1240-945-1b: First Brown Dwarf Candidate from the SDSS-III-MARVELS Planet Search.  Am. Astron. Soc. Meeting # 215.  Washington, DC.
  • Light, B., Brandt, R.E. & Warren, S.G.  (2009).  Hydrohalite in cold sea ice: Laboratory observations of single crystals, surface accumulations, and migration rates under a temperature gradient, with application to “Snowball Earth.”.
  • Lyons, J.R.  (2009).  Evaluating SO2 photolysis as the source of Archean sulfur MIF.  Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta, 73(13): A807-A807.
  • McArthur, B., Benedict, G., Barnes, R., Martioli, E., Korzennik, S., Nelan, E. & Butler, R.P.  (2010).  New Observational Constraints on the $\upsilon$ Andromedae System with Data from the Hubble Space Telescope and Hobby Eberly Telescope.  Am. Astron. Soc. Meeting # 216.  Miami, FL.
  • Meadows, V.S. & Seager, S.  (2010).  Terrestrial Planet Atmospheres and Biosignatures.  In: Seager, S. (Eds.).  Exoplanets.  University of Arizona Press.
  • Mielke, S., Dong, M., Kiang, N. & Gunner, M.  (In Press).  Midpoint redox potentials of PSII cofactors in the cyanobacterium, Acaryochloris marina, calculated by multi-conformation continuum electrostatics (MCCE).
  • Mielke, S., Kiang, N., Blankenship, R. & Mauzerall, D.  (2010).  “Thermal Efficiency of Photosynthesis in the Cyanobacterium, Acaryochloris marina,” – Oral Presentation and Poster.  Eastern Regional Photosynthesis Conference.  Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA.
  • Mielke, S., Kiang, N., Chen, M., Blankenship., R.E. & Mauzerall, D.  (In Press).  Thermal efficiency of photosynthesis in the cyanobacterium, Acaryochloris marina.
  • Mielke, S., Kiang, N., Gunner, M., Blankenship, R. & Mauzerall, D.  (2009).  “Photosynthetic Electron-Transfer in the Cyanobacterium, Acaryochloris marina,” – Oral Presentation.  NAI Executive Council Meeting.  Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.
  • Mielke, S., Mauzerall, D., Blankenship, R.E. & Kiang, N.Y.  (2010).  Constraining photosynthetic biosignatures: Spectral photoacoustic measurements of photon energy use efficiency in the far-red/near-infrared by the chlorophyll d-utilizing cyanobacterium Acarychloris marina.  International Photosynthesis Congress 2010.  Beijing, China.
  • Mielke, S., Mauzerall, D., Blankenship, R.E. & N.Y., K.  (2010).  Constraining photosynthetic biosignatures: Spectral photoacoustic measurements of photon energy use efficiency in the far-red/near-infrared by the chlorophyll d-utilizing cyanobacterium Acarychloris marina.  Revisiting the Habitable Zone Workshop.  Talaris Conference Center, Seattle, WA.
  • Mielke, S.K.N., Blankenship, R., Gunner, M. & Mauzerall, D.  (2010).  “Photosynthetic Electron-Transfer in the Cyanobacterium, Acaryochloris marina,” – Poster and Lightning Talk.  Astrobiology Science Conference 2010.  League City, Texas.
  • Mielke, S.P., Kiang, N.Y., Blankenship, R.E. & D., M.  (2010).  Thermal Efficiency of Photosynthesis in the Cyanobacterium, Acaryochloris marina.  Eastern Regional Photosynthesis Conference.  Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA.
  • Mielke, S.P., Kiang, N.Y., Blankenship, R.E., Gunner, M.R. & Mauzerall, D.  (2010).  Photosynthetic Electron-Transfer in the Cyanobacterium, Acaryochloris marina.  Astrobiology Science Conference 2010 – Evolution and Life: Surviving Catastrophes and Extremes on Earth and Beyond.  League City, Texas.
  • Mielke, S.P., Kiang, N.Y., Gunner, M.R., Blankenship, R.E. & Mauzerall, D.  (2009).  Photosynthetic Electron Transfer in the Cyanobacterium, Acaryochloris marina.  NAI Executive Council Meeting.  Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.
  • Mullins, K. & Barnes, R.  (2009).  Tidal Timelines: Evolution of Terrestrial Exoplanet Habitability Around Low Mass Stars.  Am. Geophys. U.  San Francisco, CA.
  • Mullins, K. & Barnes, R.  (2010).  Tidal Timelines: Evolution of Terrestrial Exoplanet Habitability Around Low Mass Stars.  NAI Workshop ``Revisiting the Habitable Zone,’'.  Seattle, WA.
  • O’Brien, D.P., Walsh, K.J., Morbidelli, A., Raymond, S.N., Mandell, A.M. & Bond, J.C.  (2009).  Early Giant Planet Migration in the Solar System: Geochemical and Cosmochemical Implications for Terrestrial Planet Formation.  American Astronomical Society.
  • Pevyhouse, A.  (2010).  THE MICROMETEORITIC CONTRIBUTION OF VOLATILE ORGANICS TO THE ATMOSPHERES OF THE CURRENT EARTH AND PLAUSIBLE EARTH LIKE WORLDS.  San Jose State University.
  • Raymond, S., Greenberg, R., Jackson, B., Kaib, N. & Barnes, R.  (2010).  CoRoT-7 b: Super-Earth or Super-Io?  Am. Astron. Soc. Meeting # 215,.  Washington, DC.
  • Robinson, T.D., Meadows, V. & Crisp, D.  (2010).  Earth as an Extrasolar Planet.  American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #42.
  • Robinson, T.D., Meadows, V.S. & Crisp, D.  (2010).  Detecting Oceans on Extrasolar Planets.  Astrobiology Science Conference 2010: Evolution and Life: Surviving Catastrophes and Extremes on Earth and Beyond.  League City, Texas.
  • Robinson, T.D., Meadows, V.S., Deming, D., A’Hearn, M.F., Charbonneau, D., Hewagama, T., Lisse, C., Livengood, T., McFadden, L., Seager, S., Wellnitz, D.D. & Team, E.E.  (2010).  Earth as an Extrasolar Planet: The VPL Earth Model Validated Against EPOXI Observations.  American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #41.
  • Seifert, J. & Souza, V.  (2010).  Symposium and press conference in Saltillo, Mexico on September 22, 2010, with Valeria Souza to discuss the research and preservation work of Cuatro Cienegas.
  • Shields, A.L., Meadows, V.S., Robinson, T.D., Deming, L.D., A’Hearn, M.F., Charbonneau, D., Hewagama, T., Lisse, C., Livengood, T., McFadden, L., Seager, S., Welnitz, D.D. & Team, E.E.  (2010).  Earth as an Extrasolar Planet: Comparing Polar and Equatorial Views.  Astrobiology Science Conference 2010.  League City, TX.
  • Som, S., Anderson, R., Antonio, M., Cash, M., Claire, M., Cowan, N., Ewert, M., Goldman, A., Snowden, D. & Stueeken, E.  (2009).  The 2009 Astrobiology Graduate Student Conference (AbGradCon). Abstract #511.  Astrobiology Science Conference.  League City, TX,.
  • Som, S., Domagal-Goldman, S., Wright, K., Boldt, M. & Antonio, M.  (2009).  THE ASTROBIOLOGY GRADUATE STUDENT CONFERENCE (ABGRADCON).  60th International Astronautical Congress.  Daejeon, South Korea.
  • Souza, V., Breitbart, M., Hollander, D., Elser, J., Meadows, V. & Siefert, J.  (2010).  Cuatro Ciénegas, a Desert Oasis with Active Stromatolites: An Astrobiological Project.
  • Sparks, W.B., Meadows, V., McCullough, P., Postman, M., Bussey, B. & Christian, C.  (2010).  Lunar Based Observations of the Earth as a Planet.
  • Spiegel, D.S., Raymond, S., Dressing, C.D., Scharf, C.A., Mitchell, J.L. & Menou, K.  (2009).  General Milankovitch Cycles.  Pathways Towards Habitable Planets.  San Francisco: Astronomical Society of the Pacific.
  • Stüeken, E.E., Foriel, J., K.Nelson, B. & R.Buick.  (2010).  Selenium Biogeochemistry as a Planetary Deep-Time Redox Proxy.
  • Tian, F.  (2010).  Atmospheric Stability of Earth-like planets in the Habitable Zones of M-stars.
  • Tian, F.  (2010).  Planetary Atmosphere Stability in the Habitable Zones of M-stars.  Pasadena, CA.  American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #42.
  • Walsh, K.J., Morbidelli, A., Raymond, S.N., O’Brien, D.P. & Mandell, A.M.  Origin of the Asteroid Belt and Mars’ Small Mass.  American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #42.
  • Williams, D.M. & Zugger, M.  (2010).  Polarization Of Starlight By Exoplanets With Watery Surfaces.  American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #215.
  • Zahnle, K., Catling, D. & Claire, M.  (2009).  Does Microbial Zonation Recapitulate Phylogeny? A Possible Role for Biogenic Sulphur Gases in the Transition from Methane to Free Oxygen.  AGU Fall Meeting.  San Fransisco, CA.
  • Zahnle, K., Catling, D. & Claire, M.  (2009).  ``Does Microbial Zonation Recapitulate Phylogeny? A Possible Role for Biogenic Sulphur Gases in the Transition from Methane to Free Oxygen.”.  AGU Fall Meeting.  San Francisco, CA.
  • Zahnle, K., Claire, M. & Wing, B.  (2010).  Biogenic Sulfur Gases, MIF-S, and the Rise of Free Oxygen.  Goldschmidt 2010.
  • Zahnle, K., Claire, M. & Wing, B.  (2010).  Biogenic Sulfur Gases, MIF-S, and the Rise of Free Oxygen.  Goldschmidt.  Knoxville, TN.
  • Zugger, M., Williams, D.M. & Kasting, J.F.  (2010).  Polarization of Starlight by Exoplanet Oceans.  Astrobiology Science Conference 2010.  League City, Texas.
  • Zugger, M.E., Kasting, J.F., Williams, D.M., Kane, T.J. & Philbrick, C.R.  (In Press).  Simulated light curves from ocean and Lambertian exoplanets with Rayleigh-scattering atmospheres.  Ap Journal.

2010 Teams