The interiors of rocky #exoplanets may have large quantities of #water.
But how large are those quantities and can they be estimated?
Assuming planets have four different layers enables such an estimation.
Given an iron core, a rock mantle, a high-pressure ice layer, and a surface ice/water layer, water fraction of planets can be produced by modelling their structures and comparing them to observed planetary properties.
The results show that #Proxima Centauri b, Ross 128 b, Teegarden’s b and c, GJ 1061 c and d, and TRAPPIST-1 e may have an extended liquid water reservoir.
Furthermore, extremely high water content of the exoplanets Kepler-62 f, Kepler-1652 b, Kepler-452 b, and Kepler-442 b suggests that these #planets may maintain a water vapour #atmosphere and may in fact be examples of larger ocean worlds.
#astronomy #astrobiology
https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2024/01/aa46988-23/aa46988-23.html
