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Formation of oceans within icy moons could cause the waters to boil

A rigid ice shell over a shrinking interior makes for pressures low enough to boil.

Our explanation of the outer Solar System has revealed a host of icy moons, many with surface features that suggest a complex geology. In some cases, these features—most notably the geysers of Enceladus—hint at the presence of oceans beneath the icy surfaces. These oceans have been ascribed to gravitational interactions that cause flexing and friction within the moon, creating enough heat to melt the body’s interior.

Something that has received a bit less attention is that some of these orbital interactions are temporary or cyclical. The orbits of any body are not always regular and often have long-term cycles. That’s also true for the other moons that provide the gravitational stress. As a result, the internal oceans may actually come and go, as the interiors of the moons melt and refreeze.

A new study, released today by Nature Astronomy, looks at one of the consequences of the difference in density between liquid water and ice (about 10 percent): the potential for the moon’s interior to shrink as it melts, leaving an area of low pressure immediately below its icy shell. If the moon is small enough, this study suggests, that could cause the surface of the ocean to boil.

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Small Modular Reactors: Kernspaltung tief unter der Erde löst Probleme

In kilometertiefen Bohrlöchern sind Druck und Abschirmung bereits gegeben. Das soll die Kosten von Atomkraft senken und die Sicherheit erhöhen. (Atomkraft, Energiewende)

In kilometertiefen Bohrlöchern sind Druck und Abschirmung bereits gegeben. Das soll die Kosten von Atomkraft senken und die Sicherheit erhöhen. (Atomkraft, Energiewende)

Mushroom foragers collect 160 species for food, medicine, art, and science

Researcher seek to understand the various uses of wild mushroom species.

Like many mushroom harvesters, I got interested in foraging for fungi during the COVID-19 pandemic.

I had been preparing for a summer of field work studying foraged desert plants in a remote part of Australia when the pandemic hit, and my travel plans were abruptly frozen. It was March, right before morel mushrooms emerge in central Pennsylvania.

I wasn’t doing a lot other than going on long hikes and taking classes remotely at Penn State for my doctoral degree in ecology and anthropology. One of the classes was an agroforestry class with Eric Burkhart. We studied how agriculture and forests benefit people and the environment.

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