On Detecting Biospheres from Chemical Thermodynamic Disequilibrium in Planetary Atmospheres

Astrobiology
Joshua Krissansen-TottonDavid Catling

Abstract

Atmospheric chemical disequilibrium has been proposed as a method for detecting extraterrestrial biospheres from exoplanet observations. Chemical disequilibrium is potentially a generalized biosignature since it makes no assumptions about particular biogenic gases or metabolisms. Here, we present the first rigorous calculations of the thermodynamic chemical disequilibrium in Solar System atmospheres, in which we quantify the available Gibbs energy: the Gibbs free energy of an observed atmosphere minus that of atmospheric gases reacted to equilibrium. The purely gas phase disequilibrium in Earth's atmosphere is mostly attributable to O2 and CH4. The available Gibbs energy is not unusual compared to other Solar System atmospheres and smaller than that of Mars. However, Earth's fluid envelope contains an ocean, allowing gases to react with water and requiring a multiphase calculation with aqueous species. The disequilibrium in Earth's atmosphere-ocean system (in joules per mole of atmosphere) ranges from ∼20 to 2 × 10(6) times larger than the disequilibria of other atmospheres in the Solar System, where Mars is second to Earth. Only on Earth is the chemical disequilibrium energy comparable to the thermal energy per mole of atmosph...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jan 21, 2016·Astrobiology·Aditya Chopra, Charles H Lineweaver
Jun 9, 2016·Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere : the Journal of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life·L M BargeP Sobron
Apr 27, 2017·Astrobiology·Victoria S Meadows
Apr 21, 2018·Astrobiology·David C CatlingShawn Domagal-Goldman
May 10, 2018·Astrobiology·Nancy Y KiangSara I Walker
Apr 19, 2017·Astrobiology·Christopher T ReinhardTimothy W Lyons
Mar 1, 2016·The Astrophysical Journal. Letters·Edward W SchwietermanRory Barnes
Feb 2, 2018·Science Advances·Joshua Krissansen-TottonDavid C Catling
May 5, 2018·Astrobiology·Edward W SchwietermanTimothy W Lyons
Jun 26, 2018·Astrobiology·Sara I WalkerHarrison B Smith
May 11, 2021·Astrobiology·Sanjay S LimayeMichael J Way
Jul 21, 2021·Astrobiology·William BainsAnita M S Richards
Aug 13, 2021·Astrobiology·Abel MéndezJacob Haqq-Misra

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
infrared spectroscopy

Software Mentioned

Matlab
Aspen Plus
mathop
RGIBBS
DeclareMathSizes
SUPCRT

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