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Earth-Like: an education & outreach tool for exploring the diversity of planets like our own

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 January 2020

Elizabeth J. Tasker Open the ORCID record for Elizabeth J. Tasker [Opens in a new window] ,
Kana Ishimaru ,
Nicholas Guttenberg  and
Julien Foriel
Elizabeth J. Tasker*
Affiliation:
Institute of Space and Astronautical Sciences, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Yoshinodai 3-1-1, Sagamihara, Kanagawa252-5210, Japan
Kana Ishimaru
Affiliation:
Department of Earth & Planetary Environmental Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Tokyo113-0033, Japan Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
Nicholas Guttenberg
Affiliation:
Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1, Tokyo, Japan
Julien Foriel
Affiliation:
Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1, Tokyo, Japan Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Elizabeth J. Tasker, E-mail: elizabeth.tasker@jaxa.jp
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Abstract

Earth-Like is an interactive website and twitter bot that allows users to explore changes in the average global surface temperature of an Earth-like planet due to variations in the surface oceans and emerged land coverage, rate of volcanism (degassing) and the level of the received solar radiation. The temperature is calculated using a simple carbon–silicate cycle model to change the level of CO2 in the atmosphere based on the chosen parameters. The model can achieve a temperature range exceeding −100°C to 100°C by varying all three parameters, including freeze-thaw cycles for a planet with our present-day volcanism rate and emerged land fraction situated at the outer edge of the habitable zone. To increase engagement, the planet is visualized by using a neural network to render an animated globe, based on the calculated average surface temperature and chosen values for land fraction and volcanism. The website and bot can be found at earthlike.world and on twitter as @earthlikeworld. Initial feedback via a user survey suggested that Earth-Like is effective at demonstrating that minor changes in planetary properties can strongly impact the surface environment. The goal of the project is to increase understanding of the challenges we face in finding another habitable planet due to the likely diversity of conditions on rocky worlds within our Galaxy.

Keywords

Science communicationeducationexoplanetshabitabilityclimate
Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Astrobiology , Volume 19 , Issue 3 , June 2020 , pp. 264 - 275
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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