There is more water on other planets than previously thought.

Planets contain more water than scientists thought – most of the water on a planet is not located on its surface, but hidden deep in its depths.

This affects the potential habitability of distant worlds, according to model calculations by researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and Princeton University, the press service of the Swiss university reports.

The Earth is known to have an iron core surrounded by a mantle of silicate base and water (oceans) on the surface. Science has used this simple model of the planet so far to study exoplanets – planets outside the solar system.

Only in recent years have we begun to realise that planets are more complex than we thought, the researchers note.

Most exoplanets known today are located close to their star, meaning that they primarily contain hot worlds with oceans of molten magma that have not yet cooled like Earth, which has formed a solid mantle of silicate rock on its surface.

Water dissolves very well in these magma oceans, unlike, for example, carbon dioxide, which is quickly released and rises into the atmosphere, the article notes.

It is noted that the reason for this is the processes that occur during the formation of the iron cores of the planets.

It takes time for an iron core to form. Most of the iron is initially contained in hot magma soup in the form of droplets, scientists note. — The water contained in this soup combines with the iron droplets and descends into the core with them. The iron droplets act as an elevator, pulling the water down.

Until now, it was known that this behavior was characteristic only of moderate pressure situations, like those prevailing on Earth. It was not known what happens in the case of larger planets with higher pressures in the interior.

This is one of the key results of our study, – the scientists note. – The larger the planet and the greater its mass, the more water tends to get in with iron droplets and integrate into the core. Under certain circumstances, iron can absorb up to 70 times more water than silicates. However, due to the enormous pressure in the core, water no longer takes the form of H2O molecules, but is present in the form of hydrogen and oxygen.

It is noted that the current study was provoked by a study of the Earth’s water content, which four years ago yielded an unexpected result: the oceans on the Earth’s surface contain only a small fraction of all the water on our planet.

The contents of more than 80 of Earth’s oceans may be hidden deep within the Earth, according to simulations that calculate the behavior of water under conditions similar to those that prevailed when the Earth was young, the paper notes.

Thus, the results of this study may have significant implications for the interpretation of astronomical observational data:

• Using their telescopes in space and on Earth, astronomers can, under certain conditions, measure the mass and size of an exoplanet;
• Based on these calculations, they construct mass-radius diagrams that allow them to draw conclusions about the composition of the planet;
• If, as has been the case until now, the solubility and distribution of water are ignored, estimates of water volume can be sharply underestimated by up to ten times.

The planets are much richer in water than previously thought, the researchers note.

The distribution of water is also important if we want to understand how planets form and evolve:

• water that sinks into the core remains there forever;
• However, water dissolved in the mantle magma ocean can degas and rise to the surface during mantle cooling.

So, if we find water in the planet’s atmosphere, then there is probably much more of it in its depths, the researchers note.

Water is one of the prerequisites for the development of life. There have long been speculations about the potential habitability of water-rich super-Earths – that is, planets whose mass is many times greater than that of the Earth, and whose surface is covered by a deep global ocean:

• Earlier calculations suggested that too much water might be hostile to life – the argument was that on these water worlds, a layer of exotic, high-pressure ice would prevent the exchange of vital substances at the boundary between the planet’s ocean and mantle;
• A new study has come to a different conclusion: planets with deep water layers are likely a rare occurrence, since most of the water on super-Earths is located not on the surface, as previously thought, but in the core.

This leads scientists to speculate that even planets with relatively high water content may have the potential to develop Earth-like conditions for life, the paper notes. – The study thus sheds new light on the potential existence of water-rich worlds that could support life.

Source: Racurs

David

I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.