What is it about?
By taking well-established methodology from terrestrial biology, we've been able to convert climate models for exoplanets to illustrate the kinds of plant life that would be possible. This helps constrain the kind of biosphere that would be possible should complex life arise. The paper also compares the output of two related climate models, which take into account the manner in which precipitation varies from moisture sources in the presence or absence of vegetation.
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Why is it important?
This paper is the first to take climate models for synchronously-rotating (tidally-locked) planets and use these to examine the biological potential of the surface of any land that may be present. It limits the available biosphere of Proxima b to certain regions where complex surface life is possible ; while still allowing for sub-surface or near-surface biospheres elsewhere.
Perspectives
This paper grew out of attempts to define life on exoplanets using various mathematical tools. After stumbling through various approaches, this one (from the 1940s) seemed viable. It's always a pleasure to resurrect old methodologies and apply them to new environments.
Dr David Sinclair Stevenson
Carlton le Willows Academy
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Phytoclimatic mapping of exoplanets, International Journal of Astrobiology, July 2019, Cambridge University Press,
DOI: 10.1017/s1473550419000181.
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