Dynamic Habitability
According to the most recent Decadal Strategy for Planetary Science & Astrobiology: “Planetary habitability is the measure of a body’s potential to develop and sustain life.“
Yet, we have only one example of a planet that has developed and sustained life: Earth. This makes searching for habitable environments and defining the spectrum of environments that fall between “habitable” and “uninhabitable” a problem that is defined entirely by what we know about life on Earth. This can be seen as a benefit –life on Earth is highly diverse and we can learn a lot about the limitations of habitability from life at the extremes– or a shortcoming – life on Earth is derived from a common ancestor and we’re therefore limited to only one blueprint of how a biosphere forms-. However, there are a few basic principles that can be agreed upon that contribute to habitability. This includes the presence of a solvent (e.g. liquid water), conditions favorable for the assembly of complex organic molecules (e.g. temperature, pressure, pH, presence of carbon), and energy sources to sustain metabolism. However, these key components have the potential to change, sustain, or terminate as planets evolve over time. The factors that lead to that disruption, sustainability, or termination are captured by the concept of “dynamic habitability“.
In my research, I aim to answer the questions of “What processes can occur in Ocean Worlds?”, “How can the rates of those processes change over time?“, and lastly “How can we detect or measure those processes with spacecraft?”
The Lost City hydrothermal vent field, located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, features towering carbonate chimneys formed by serpentinization—a process that produces hydrogen and supports diverse chemosynthetic life. As a unique site of abiotic hydrogen generation and alkaline fluids, Lost City serves as a valuable analogue for hydrothermal systems that may exist on ocean worlds like Europa and Enceladus. Studying this environment helps scientists understand potential habitats for life beyond Earth, the metabolic pathways that could sustain extraterrestrial ecosystems, and the chemical conditions that may have fostered the origin of life on other planets.
