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Tides on Other Earths: Implications for Exoplanet and Palaeo‐Tidal Simulations
Author(s) -
Blackledge B. W.,
Green J. A. M.,
Barnes R.,
Way M. J.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2019gl085746
Subject(s) - exoplanet , planet , geology , dissipation , tidal acceleration , tidal model , tidal power , tidal heating , habitability , geophysics , astrobiology , ocean tide , tectonics , geodesy , physics , oceanography , astronomy , paleontology , ecology , biology , thermodynamics
A key controller of a planet's rotational evolution, and hence habitability, is tidal dissipation, which on Earth is dominated by the ocean tides. Because exoplanet or deep‐time Earth topographies are unknown, a statistical ensemble is used to constrain possible tidal dissipation rates on an Earth‐like planet. A dedicated tidal model is used together with 120 random continental configurations to simulate Earth's semidiurnal lunar tide. The results show a possible ocean tidal dissipation range spanning 3 orders of magnitude, between 2.3 GWto 1.9 TW (1 TW=10 12 W). When model resolution is considered, this compares well with theoretical limits derived for the energetics of Earth's present‐day deep ocean. Consequently, continents exert a fundamental control on tidal dissipation rates and we suggest that plate tectonics on a planet will induce a time‐varying dissipation analogous to Earth's. This will alter rotational periods over millions of years and further complicate the role of tides for planetary evolution.