Exploring Europa’s Subglacial Ocean: Study Reveals Carbon Dioxide Presence

2023-09-22 10:03:00
2023/9/22 18:03 (updated at 9/22 19:55) A surface diagram of Europa, one of Jupiter’s natural satellites. (Picture taken from NASA website europa.nasa.gov) (Central News Agency, Paris, comprehensive foreign news report on the 21st) A study of data obtained by the Webb Space Telescope showed that the carbon dioxide detected on Europa, one of Jupiter’s natural satellites, Possibly from the vast ocean beneath its icy crust, raising hopes that its subglacial ocean may harbor life. Scientists believe that a vast ocean of salty water exists several kilometers beneath Europa’s icy surface, making Europa a prime candidate for alien life in the solar system. But determining whether this hidden ocean contains the chemical elements needed to sustain life has been difficult. Carbon dioxide, one of the key elements for life, has been found on the surface of Europa, but whether it came from its subglacial ocean remains an open question. To find out, two U.S.-led research teams used data from the James Webb Space Telescope’s near-infrared spectrometer to map carbon dioxide on Europa’s surface and published it in the journal Science their respective research results. The first study used data from the Webb Space Telescope to examine whether carbon dioxide might have come from somewhere other than the ocean. Samantha Trumbo, a planetary scientist at Cornell University and lead author of the study, told AFP that their conclusion was that the carbon dioxide “comes from the interior of Europa, possibly a subglacial ocean.” But researchers cannot rule out the possibility that the carbon dioxide comes from rocky carbonate minerals in Europa’s interior, which may break down into carbon dioxide under light penetration. A second study using the same Webb Space Telescope data also showed that “carbon dioxide comes from the interior of Europa.” (Translator: Li Jinwei / Verification: Yan Siqi) 1120922 Central News Agency “First-hand News” app The text, pictures and audio and video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.
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