Planetary Climate and Habitability Research

Group Publications


Links to most of our group papers are given below. See also the arxiv listings.


C. Minsky, R. Wordsworth, F. Macdonald and A. Knoll, submitted, 2024: Initiation of Snowball Earth from silicate weathering of a large igneous province in the Neoproterozoic

J. Seeley and R. Wordsworth, submitted, 2024: Resolved convection in hydrogen-rich atmospheres

B. Konrad, S. P. Quanz, E. Alei and R. Wordsworth, in review, 2024: Pursuing truth: Enhancing exo-Earth retrievals with physically motivated water abundance profiles and clouds

R. Wordsworth and C. Cockell, in press at Astrobiology, 2024: Defining the minimum physical requirements for life in space

J. Jorge & R. Wordsworth, accepted to JGR Planets: One-dimensional radiative-convective modeling of a suite of greenhouse gases on early Mars

D. Powell, R. Wordsworth and K. Öberg, ApJL, 2024: Nightside Clouds on Tidally-locked Terrestrial Planets Mimic Atmosphere-Free Scenarios

A. Salazar and R. Wordsworth, PSJ, 2024: The feasibility of asynchronous rotation via thermal tides for diverse atmospheric compositions

R. Wordsworth, Scientific American, 2024: Mars rocks will change how we see life on Earth

R. Wordsworth, J. Seeley & K. Shine, PSJ, 2024: Fermi Resonance and the quantum mechanical basis of global warming

C. Cherubim, R. Wordsworth, R. Hu and E. Skolnik, PSJ, 2024: Strong fractionation of deuterium and helium in sub-Neptune atmospheres along the radius valley

Konrad, B., et al. A&A, 2023: Large Interferometer For Exoplanets (LIFE) IX. Assessing the impact of clouds on atmospheric retrievals at mid-infrared wavelengths with a Venus-twin exoplanet.

J. Seeley and R. Wordsworth, PSJ, 2023: Moist convection is most vigorous at intermediate atmospheric humidity

F. Ding and R. Wordsworth, ApJL, 2022: Prospects for water vapor detection in the atmospheres of temperate and arid rocky exoplanets around M-dwarf stars

R. Wordsworth and L. Kreidberg, ARAA, 2022: Atmospheres of rocky exoplanets

J. Seeley and R. Wordsworth, Nature, 2021: Episodic deluges in simulated hothouse climates

R. Wordsworth, Encyclopedia of Astrobiology, 2021: Modeling Terrestrial Planet Atmospheres

C. Cockell, R. Wordsworth, N. Whiteford, and P. M. Higgins, 2021: Minimum units of habitability and their abundance in the Universe

F. Ding and R. Wordsworth, The Planetary Science Journal, 2021: Multiple moist climate equilibrium states on arid rocky M-dwarf planets: A last-saturation tracer analysis

M. Baum, R. Wordsworth and T. Goudge, The Planetary Science Journal, 2021: Consequences of proposed shoreline deformation scenarios for Jezero Crater, Mars

R. Wordsworth, ApJL, 2021: How likely are Snowball episodes near the inner edge of the habitable zone?

K. Loftus and R. Wordsworth, JGR Planets, 2021: The physics of falling raindrops in diverse planetary atmospheres

R. Wordsworth, A. Knoll, J. Hurowitz, M. Baum, B. Ehlmann, J. Head and K. Steakley, Nature Geoscience, 2021: A coupled stochastic model of the climate and redox evolution of Mars

W. Kang, F. Ding, R. Wordsworth, and S. Seager, ApJ, 2021: Escaping outflows from disintegrating exoplanets: Day-side versus night-side escape

S. D. Guzewich, M. J. Way, I. Aleinov, E. T. Wolf, A. Del Genio, R. Wordsworth and K. Tsigaridis, JGR Planets, 2021: 3D Simulations of the Early Martian Hydrological Cycle Mediated by a H2‐CO2 Greenhouse

M. Baum and R. Wordsworth, JGR Planets, 2020: Groundwater flow to Gale Crater in an episodically warm climate

M. Joshi, A. D. Elvidge, R. Wordsworth and D. Sergeev, ApJL, 2020: Earth's polar night boundary layer as an analogue for dark side inversions on tidally-locked terrestrial exoplanets

F. Ding and R. Wordsworth, ApJL, 2020: Stabilization of dayside surface liquid water via tropopause cold trapping on arid tidally locked planets

H. Wang and R. Wordsworth, ApJ, 2020: Extremely long convergence times in a 3D GCM simulation of the sub-Neptune Gliese 1214b

M. Lapotre, J. O’Rourke, L. Schaefer, K. Siebach, C. Spalding, S. Tikoo and R. Wordsworth, Nature Reviews Earth and Environment, 2020: Probing space to understand Earth

J. J. Fortney et al., 2019. The need for laboratory measurements and ab initio studies to aid understanding of exoplanetary atmospheres.

K. Loftus, R. Wordsworth and C. Morley, ApJ, 2019: Sulfur haze as a diagnostic of surface liquid water content on rocky exoplanets

W. Kang and R. Wordsworth, ApJ, 2019: Collapse of the general circulation in shortwave-absorbing atmospheres: an idealized model study

K. Fukushi, Y. Sekine, H. Sakuma, K. Morida, and R. Wordsworth, Nature Communications, 2019: Semiarid climate and hyposaline lake on early Mars inferred from reconstructed water chemistry at Gale

K. Öberg and R. Wordsworth, ApJ, 2019: Jupiter's composition suggests its core assembled exterior to the N2 snowline

R. Wordsworth, Scientific American, 2019: Can Mars be made habitable in our lifetimes?

R. Wordsworth, L. Kerber and C. Cockell, Nature Astronomy, 2019: Enabling martian habitability with silica aerogel via the solid-state greenhouse effect

C. Arnscheidt, R. Wordsworth and F. Ding, ApJ, 2019: Atmospheric evolution on low-gravity waterworlds

F. Ding and R. Wordsworth, ApJ, 2019: A new line-by-line general circulation model for simulation of diverse planetary atmospheres

L. Zeng et al., PNAS, 2019: Growth model interpretation of planet size distribution

T. Karman et al., Icarus, 2019: Update of the HITRAN collision-induced absorption section

R. Wordsworth, B. Ehlmann, F. Forget, R. Haberle, J. Head and L. Kerber, Nature Geoscience 2018: Healthy debate on early Mars

R. Wordsworth, L. Schaefer and R. Fischer, AJ, 2018: Redox evolution via gravitational differentiation on low mass planets: implications for abiotic oxygen, water loss and habitability

NOTE: The AJ version of this paper contains two minor errors that were introduced during the typesetting process. The units for energy-limited mass flux stated directly after eqn. (7) should be kg m−2 s−1, not kg−1 m−2 s−1. Similarly, the units for the Case B hydrogen radiative recombination coefficient should be cm3 atom-1 s-1, instead of cm-3 atom-1 s-1. These typographic errors are not present in the arxiv submission and have no effect on the rest of the paper.

A. Palumbo, J. Head and R. Wordsworth, Icarus, 2018: Late Noachian Icy Highlands climate model: Exploring the possibility of transient melting and fluvial/lacustrine activity through peak annual and seasonal temperatures

J. Fortney et al., 2018: The Origins space telescope: Towards an understanding of temperate planetary atmospheres

S. Ranjan, R. Wordsworth and D. Sasselov, ApJ, 2017: The surface UV environment on planets orbiting M dwarfs: Implications for prebiotic chemistry and the need for experimental follow-up

F. Macdonald and R. Wordsworth, GRL, 2017: Initiation of Snowball Earth with volcanic sulfur aerosol emissions

M. Turbet, F. Forget, J. W. Head, R. Wordsworth, Icarus, 2017: 3D Modelling of the climatic impact of outflow channel formation events on Early Mars

R. Wordsworth, Y. Kalugina, S. Lokshtanov, A. Vigasin, B. Ehlmann, J. Head, C. Sanders and H. Wang, GRL, 2017: Transient reducing greenhouse warming on early Mars

S. Ranjan, R. Wordsworth and D. Sasselov, Astrobiology, 2017: Atmospheric constraints on the surface UV environment of Mars at 3.9 Ga relevant to prebiotic chemistry

B. Ehlmann et al., JGR Planets, 2016: The sustainability of habitability on terrestrial planets: Insights, questions, and needed measurements from Mars for understanding the evolution of Earth-like worlds

L. Schaefer, R. Wordsworth, Z. Berta-Thompson and D. Sasselov, ApJ, 2016: Predictions of the atmospheric composition of GJ 1132b

R. Wordsworth, Ann Rev EPS, 2016: The climate of early Mars

R. Wordsworth, EPSL, 2016: Atmospheric nitrogen evolution on Earth and Venus

R. Wordsworth, ApJ, 2015: Atmospheric heat redistribution and collapse on tidally locked rocky planets

L. Kerber, R. Wordsworth and F. Forget, Icarus, 2015: Sulfur in the early martian atmosphere revisited: Experiments with a 3-D global climate model

R. Wordsworth, L. Kerber, R. Pierrehumbert, F. Forget and J. Head, JGR, 2015: Comparison of “warm and wet” and “cold and icy” scenarios for early Mars in a 3D climate model

S. Guerlet et al., Icarus 2014: Global climate modeling of Saturn’s atmosphere. Part I: Evaluation of the radiative transfer model

B. Charnay, F. Forget, G. Tobie, C. Sotin and R. Wordsworth, Icarus 2014: Titan's past and future: 3D modeling of a pure nitrogen atmosphere and geological implications

R. Wordsworth and R. Pierrehumbert, ApJ Letters 2014: Abiotic oxygen-dominated atmospheres on terrestrial habitable zone planets

J. Leconte, F. Forget, B. Charnay, R. Wordsworth and A. Pottier, Nature 2013: Increased insolation threshold for runaway greenhouse processes on Earth-like planets

R. Wordsworth and R. Pierrehumbert, ApJ 2013: Water loss from terrestrial planets with CO2-rich atmospheres

B. Charnay, F. Forget, R. Wordsworth, J. Leconte, E. Millour and F. Codron, JGR 2013: Exploring the faint young Sun problem and the possible climates of the Archean Earth with a 3D GCM

R. Wordsworth and R. Pierrehumbert, Science 2013: Hydrogen-nitrogen greenhouse warming in Earth's early atmosphere

K. E. Scanlon, James W. Head, J.-B. Madeleine, R. Wordsworth, and F. Forget, GRL 2013: Orographic precipitation in valley network headwaters: Constraints on the ancient Martian atmosphere

J. Leconte, F. Forget, B. Charnay, R. Wordsworth, F. Selsis, E. Millour and A. Spiga, A&A 2013: 3D climate modeling of close-in land planets: Circulation patterns, climate moist bistability, and habitability

L. Kerber, F. Forget, J.-B. Madeleine, R. Wordsworth, J. Head and L. Wilson, Icarus 2013: The effect of atmospheric pressure on the dispersal of pyroclasts from martian volcanoes

R. Wordsworth, F. Forget, E. Millour, J. Head, J.-B. Madeleine and B. Charnay, Icarus 2013: Global modelling of the early Martian climate under a denser CO2 atmosphere: Water cycle and ice evolution

F. Forget, R. Wordsworth, E. Millour, J.-B. Madeleine, L. Kerber, J. Leconte, E. Marcq and R.M. Haberle, Icarus 2013: 3D modelling of the early Martian climate under a denser CO2 atmosphere: Temperatures and CO2 ice clouds

R. Wordsworth, Icarus 2012: Transient conditions for biogenesis on low-mass exoplanets with escaping hydrogen atmospheres

G. Tinetti et al., Experimental Astronomy 2012: EChO: Exoplanet Characterization Observatory

F. Selsis, R. Wordsworth and F. Forget, A&A 2011: Thermal phase curves of nontransiting terrestrial exoplanets I: Characterizing atmospheres

R. Wordsworth, F. Forget, F. Selsis, E. Millour, B. Charnay and J.-B. Madeleine, ApJ Letters 2011: Gliese 581d is the first discovered terrestrial-mass exoplanet in the habitable zone

R. Wordsworth, F. Forget, F. Selsis, J.-B. Madeleine, E. Millour and V. Eymet, A&A 2010: Is Gliese 581d habitable? Some constraints from radiative-convective climate modeling

R. Wordsworth, F. Forget and V. Eymet, Icarus 2010: Infrared collision-induced and far-line absorption in dense CO2 atmospheres

A. C. Barbosa Aguiar, P. L. Read, R. Wordsworth, T. Salter and Y. H. Yamazaki, Icarus 2010: A laboratory model of Saturn’s North Polar Hexagon

R. Wordsworth, Phys Fluids 2009: A phase-space study of jet formation in planetary-scale fluids

R. Wordsworth, P. L. Read and Y. H. Yamazaki, Phys Fluids 2008: Turbulence, waves, and jets in a differentially heated rotating annulus experiment

R. Wordsworth, 2008: Theoretical and experimental investigations of turbulent jet formation in planetary fluid dynamics

P. L. Read, Y. H. Yamazaki, S. R. Lewis, P. D. Williams, R. Wordsworth, K. Miki-Yamazaki, J. Sommeria, H. Didelle, J Atmos Sci 2007: Dynamics of convectively driven banded jets in the laboratory

B. Galperin, S. Sukoriansky, N. Dikovskaya, P. L. Read, Y. H. Yamazaki, R. Wordsworth, N Proc Geo 2006: Anisotropic turbulence and zonal jets in rotating flows with a beta-effect