The influence of a substellar continent on the climate of a tidally locked exoplane

Journal article

Previous studies have demonstrated that continental carbon-silicate weathering is important to the continued habitability of a terrestrial planet. Despite this, few studies have considered the influence of land on the climate of a tidally locked planet. In this work we use the Met Office Unified Model, coupled to a land-surface model, to investigate the climate effects of a continent located at the substellar point. We choose to use the orbital and planetary parameters of Proxima Centauri B as a template, to allow comparison with the work of others. A region of the surface where T s > 273.15 K is always retained, and previous conclusions on the habitability of Proxima Centauri B remain intact. We find that substellar land causes global cooling and increases day–night temperature contrasts by limiting heat redistribution. Furthermore, we find that substellar land is able to introduce a regime change in the atmospheric circulation. Specifically, when a continent offset to the east of the substellar point is introduced, we observe the formation of two mid-latitude counterrotating jets, and a substantially weakened equatorial superrotating jet.

Authors: Lewis, N; Lambert, F; Boutle, I; Mayne, N; Manners, J

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: American Astronomical Society
• Journal: Astrophysical Journal
• Volume: 854
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 171-171
• Publication date: 2018-02-26
• Acceptance date: 2018-02-01
• DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/aaad0a
• ISSN: 1538-4357
• Keywords: astrobiology; planets and satellites: terrestrial planets; planets and satellites: atmospheres