Stephanie Olson

The distribution and activity of marine life is strongly influenced by ocean circulation patterns on Earth. Ocean dynamics will differ among the diversity of habitable worlds in the Universe, but these relationships and their implications for exoplanet life remain unknown. T.C. Chamberlin Postdoc Stephanie Olson investigated how ocean dynamics respond to changing planetary conditions such as rotation rate, surface pressure, orbital obliquity, and surface gravity. She found that planets will differ in their suitability for Earth-like life---and some planets may even host ocean habitats that are more hospitable for life than on our own planet. For more details, see news coverage by CNN and Forbes.