EES Guest Speaker - Dr. Laura Schaefer

Dr. Laura Schaefer stops by EES to give a talk on "Mantle redox evolution and effect on atmosphere composition: from Earth and Mars to exoplanets"

The oxidation state of a rocky planet’s mantle has a strong influence on the
composition of secondary atmospheres formed through outgassing. Understanding how mantle
oxidation state depends on planetary bulk composition and how it changes with time due to
planetary differentiation, atmospheric outgassing, and interactions with a planet’s volatile
envelope is crucial to accurately predicting atmospheric compositions of rocky exoplanets.
Distinguishing biosignature gases from geosignatures (false positive biosignatures produced
by natural geological processes) will depend on understanding the geological processes
operating on planets of different size and composition compared to the Earth. In this talk, Dr. Schaefer
discusses models that explore how magma ocean processes and planetary differentiation
influence mantle oxidation state and the resulting outgassed atmosphere, both for Solar
System planets (Earth & Mars) and potentially habitable exoplanets.