Nutrient transport within the Subsurface Oceans of Icy Moons
LOCATION
Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AH
A growing evidence base suggests that globally-distributed, deep oceans of liquid water underlay the surface of several icy satellites orbiting Jupiter and Saturn. This has invigorated the search for life which, as we know it, requires stable liquid water, an energy source, and suitable mix of chemical elements to survive.
Currently, our observations are most comprehensive at Enceladus, a tiny (~500km wide) moon orbiting Saturn. Notably, direct samples of its ocean were obtained by the Cassini space probe, which performed multiple ‘fly-throughs’ of the geyser-like plumes of water vapour that emanate from fissures in Enceladus’s South Polar region. These samples revealed much about the chemistry of its ocean, suggesting a composition fairly similar to Earth with many of the nutrients essential for life. They also indicated that ongoing hydrothermal activity is likely occurring at its ocean depths.
Within the past 2 years, work has begun aiming to clarify how the subsurface oceans of Enceladus and other icy moons may circulate – important in understanding how these oceans transport heat and nutrients. However, existing work has neglected/overlooked fundamental processes, namely the salinity (salt) effects of the overlying ice shell, baroclinicity, and the uncertain role of turbulent mixing (generated by tides and friction of the overlying ice shell).
In this talk, Flynn focused on Enceladus and demonstrate that these processes likely shape its ocean circulation. Flynn showed how existing uncertainty in salinity and turbulent mixing can lead to radically different dynamical regimes and by extension, radically different timescales of nutrient transport within its ocean, depending upon the parameter space employed. Flynn then compared these results to estimations of nutrient transport timescales made by plume analysis studies, to infer the parameter space under which their inferred transport timescales would be achievable.
Speaker
Flynn Ames
Flynn Ames is a 2nd year PhD student at the University of Reading, studying ocean dynamics within the subsurface oceans of icy moons. Flynn graduated in 2021 with an integrated masters in Environmental Science at the University of East Anglia and is particularly interested in the use of our knowledge of processes on Earth in characterising the ‘other worlds’ of our solar system and galaxy. In his masters project, he studied mineral dust lifting on Earth-like exoplanets, and its sensitivity to planetary obliquity (planet’s axial tilt), to determine how this could influence the climates of these planets and their potential habitability. His current research is focusing somewhat closer to home, aiming to better understand the physical ocean environments within some of the moons that orbit Jupiter and Saturn.
Registration
REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED.
The Royal Meteorological Society has a number of local centres across the UK, where meetings are held throughout the year. The South East Local Centre are currently hosting monthly meetings which can be attended in person or virtually. For further information on the local centre, upcoming events or to be added to the mailing list, please contact southeast@rmets.org.
A growing evidence base suggests that globally-distributed, deep oceans of liquid water underlay the surface of several icy satellites orbiting Jupiter and Saturn. This has invigorated the search for life which, as we know it, requires stable liquid water, an energy source, and suitable mix of chemical elements to survive.
Currently, our observations are most comprehensive at Enceladus, a tiny (~500km wide) moon orbiting Saturn. Notably, direct samples of its ocean were obtained by the Cassini space probe, which performed multiple ‘fly-throughs’ of the geyser-like plumes of water vapour that emanate from fissures in Enceladus’s South Polar region. These samples revealed much about the chemistry of its ocean, suggesting a composition fairly similar to Earth with many of the nutrients essential for life. They also indicated that ongoing hydrothermal activity is likely occurring at its ocean depths.
Within the past 2 years, work has begun aiming to clarify how the subsurface oceans of Enceladus and other icy moons may circulate – important in understanding how these oceans transport heat and nutrients. However, existing work has neglected/overlooked fundamental processes, namely the salinity (salt) effects of the overlying ice shell, baroclinicity, and the uncertain role of turbulent mixing (generated by tides and friction of the overlying ice shell).
In this talk, Flynn focused on Enceladus and demonstrate that these processes likely shape its ocean circulation. Flynn showed how existing uncertainty in salinity and turbulent mixing can lead to radically different dynamical regimes and by extension, radically different timescales of nutrient transport within its ocean, depending upon the parameter space employed. Flynn then compared these results to estimations of nutrient transport timescales made by plume analysis studies, to infer the parameter space under which their inferred transport timescales would be achievable.
Speaker
Flynn Ames
Flynn Ames is a 2nd year PhD student at the University of Reading, studying ocean dynamics within the subsurface oceans of icy moons. Flynn graduated in 2021 with an integrated masters in Environmental Science at the University of East Anglia and is particularly interested in the use of our knowledge of processes on Earth in characterising the ‘other worlds’ of our solar system and galaxy. In his masters project, he studied mineral dust lifting on Earth-like exoplanets, and its sensitivity to planetary obliquity (planet’s axial tilt), to determine how this could influence the climates of these planets and their potential habitability. His current research is focusing somewhat closer to home, aiming to better understand the physical ocean environments within some of the moons that orbit Jupiter and Saturn.
Registration
REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED.
The Royal Meteorological Society has a number of local centres across the UK, where meetings are held throughout the year. The South East Local Centre are currently hosting monthly meetings which can be attended in person or virtually. For further information on the local centre, upcoming events or to be added to the mailing list, please contact southeast@rmets.org.