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Could liquid water lie just beneath Europa’s icy surface?
Europa, one of Jupiter’s most fascinating moons, is already known for its vast subsurface ocean. But a recent study suggests there might be shallow pockets of liquid water, much closer to the surface than we thought. This discovery opens up exciting new possibilities about the moon's potential for habitability.
Scientists were inspired by Europa’s double ridges—parallel, long ridges crisscrossing the surface—similar to formations found on Earth’s Greenland ice sheet. On Greenland, these ridges form when water pockets beneath the ice refreeze, fracturing the surface and creating a distinctive double-peaked pattern. By analyzing radar data from NASA’s Operation IceBridge, researchers think Europa’s ridges might be the result of a similar process.
If this hypothesis is correct, Europa’s icy shell could contain shallow reservoirs of water, potentially forming when deep ocean water rises to the surface or when internal processes unique to Europa’s environment create it in place. This discovery has huge implications for the potential of life on Europa. If shallow water pockets exist, they could mix with surface chemicals—whether from space debris, volcanic activity from Jupiter’s moon Io, or other sources—creating the conditions necessary for life.
NASA’s Europa Clipper and ESA’s JUICE missions, both equipped with ice-penetrating radar, are scheduled to launch in the near future and will investigate these hypotheses directly. If they confirm the presence of shallow liquid water, we’ll be one step closer to answering a burning question: Could there be life beyond Earth?
Research Paper: Riley Culberg et al., “Double ridge formation over shallow water sills on Jupiter’s moon Europa,” Nature Communications, 2022Could liquid water lie just beneath Europa’s icy surface? 🌊 Europa, one of Jupiter’s most fascinating moons, is already known for its vast subsurface ocean. But a recent study suggests there might be shallow pockets of liquid water, much closer to the surface than we thought. This discovery opens up exciting new possibilities about the moon's potential for habitability. Scientists were inspired by Europa’s double ridges—parallel, long ridges crisscrossing the surface—similar to formations found on Earth’s Greenland ice sheet. On Greenland, these ridges form when water pockets beneath the ice refreeze, fracturing the surface and creating a distinctive double-peaked pattern. By analyzing radar data from NASA’s Operation IceBridge, researchers think Europa’s ridges might be the result of a similar process. If this hypothesis is correct, Europa’s icy shell could contain shallow reservoirs of water, potentially forming when deep ocean water rises to the surface or when internal processes unique to Europa’s environment create it in place. This discovery has huge implications for the potential of life on Europa. If shallow water pockets exist, they could mix with surface chemicals—whether from space debris, volcanic activity from Jupiter’s moon Io, or other sources—creating the conditions necessary for life. NASA’s Europa Clipper and ESA’s JUICE missions, both equipped with ice-penetrating radar, are scheduled to launch in the near future and will investigate these hypotheses directly. If they confirm the presence of shallow liquid water, we’ll be one step closer to answering a burning question: Could there be life beyond Earth? 📄 Research Paper: Riley Culberg et al., “Double ridge formation over shallow water sills on Jupiter’s moon Europa,” Nature Communications, 2022
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