Ice-ocean interactions in the Solar System

Several ice-covered moons with underlying liquid-water oceans are thought to exist in the Solar System. In both Earth and planetary systems, the ocean below the ice is critical for understanding ice thickness and dynamics. However, unlike for Earth’s polar oceans, in-situ measurements of ocean properties below an ice cover are not available for icy satellites. In this talk, I will describe how insights from polar research may help us understand ocean properties on icy satellites. We will largely focus on Europa, a moon of Jupiter, thought to have an ice shell overlying a global liquid-water ocean. How does this ice shell grow and move? What can the thermodynamics and dynamics governing this growth and movement tell us about the evolution of Europa and help us infer about its subsurface ocean? We will discuss how idealized models of Europa’s ice shell, adapted from considerations of Earth’s cryosphere, give us insight into this mysterious planetary body.