Phosphate availability and implications for life on ocean worlds.

ABSTRACT: Several moons in the outer solar system host liquid water oceans. A key next step in assessing the habitability of these ocean worlds is to determine whether life's elemental and energy requirements are also met. Phosphorus is required by all known life and is often limited to biological productivity in Earth's oceans. This raises the possibility that its availability may limit the abundance or productivity of Earth-like life on ocean worlds. To address this potential problem, here we calculate the equilibrium dissolved phosphate concentrations associated with the reaction of water and rocks-a key driver of ocean chemical evolution-across a broad range of compositional inputs and reaction conditions. Equilibrium dissolved phosphate concentrations range from 10^-11 to 10^-1 </

SUBMITTER: Randolph-Flagg NG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10130162 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature