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A cool runaway greenhouse without surface magma ocean

Author

Listed:
  • Franck Selsis

    (University of Bordeaux, CNRS)

  • Jérémy Leconte

    (University of Bordeaux, CNRS)

  • Martin Turbet

    (University of Bordeaux, CNRS
    PSL Research University, École Polytechnique)

  • Guillaume Chaverot

    (Observatoire Astronomique de l’Université de Genève)

  • Émeline Bolmont

    (Observatoire Astronomique de l’Université de Genève
    University of Geneva)

Abstract

Water vapour atmospheres with content equivalent to the Earth’s oceans, resulting from impacts1 or a high insolation2,3, were found to yield a surface magma ocean4,5. This was, however, a consequence of assuming a fully convective structure2–11. Here, we report using a consistent climate model that pure steam atmospheres are commonly shaped by radiative layers, making their thermal structure strongly dependent on the stellar spectrum and internal heat flow. The surface is cooler when an adiabatic profile is not imposed; melting Earth’s crust requires an insolation several times higher than today, which will not happen during the main sequence of the Sun. Venus’s surface can solidify before the steam atmosphere escapes, which is the opposite of previous works4,5. Around the reddest stars (Teff

Suggested Citation

  • Franck Selsis & Jérémy Leconte & Martin Turbet & Guillaume Chaverot & Émeline Bolmont, 2023. "A cool runaway greenhouse without surface magma ocean," Nature, Nature, vol. 620(7973), pages 287-291, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:620:y:2023:i:7973:d:10.1038_s41586-023-06258-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06258-3
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    Cited by:

    1. Joshua Krissansen-Totton & Nicholas Wogan & Maggie Thompson & Jonathan J. Fortney, 2024. "The erosion of large primary atmospheres typically leaves behind substantial secondary atmospheres on temperate rocky planets," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-16, December.

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