Oceans Could Help Find Alien Life: Study

Scientists at the University of East Anglia say that oceans are important in the search for alien life.

Most research groups that develop computer simulations of habitable planets focus on the composition of the atmosphere. But the team at the University of East Anglia said that oceans are essential to climate stability and habitability, and so must be used to find alien life.

NASA has said that the agency will find extra terrestrial life within two decades.

"The number of planets being discovered outside our solar system is rapidly increasing. This research will help answer whether or not these planets could sustain alien life," Professor David Stevens, from UEA's school of Mathematics, said in a news release.

For the study, researchers simulated patterns of ocean circulation on an Earth-like planet. The team wanted to see how planetary rotation would impact heat transport. Researchers looked at heat transfer, both in the presence and absence of the hypothetical ocean.

"Oceans have an immense capacity to control climate. They are beneficial because they cause the surface temperature to respond very slowly to seasonal changes in solar heating. And they help ensure that temperature swings across a planet are kept to tolerable levels," Stevens explained in the news release. "We found that heat transported by oceans would have a major impact on the temperature distribution across a planet, and would potentially allow a greater area of a planet to be habitable."

Researchers said that their model could help scientists understand temperature changes on other Earth-like planets in greater detail. The computer simulation also might help find planets that are most likely to harbour alien life.

The study, "The Importance of Planetary Rotation Period for Ocean Heat Transport," is published in the journal Astrobiology. It was funded by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).