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 Revealing Europa’s Subsurface Ocean through Earth-based Spectroscopy

Abstract: Locked beneath its icy crust, Jupiter’s moon Europa harbors one of the largest bodies of liquid water in the Solar System—a global, salty, internal ocean that may present a hospitable environment for life. Currently, investigations of the composition of Europa’s geologically young, fractured surface provide our best window into its ocean chemistry and, thus, its potential habitability. I will discuss how I have been using Earth-based spectroscopic observations from facilities like the Hubble Space Telescope, Keck Observatory, and JWST to transform our understanding of Europa’s surface chemistry and its relationship to the internal ocean. These observations complement the past and future spacecraft exploration of the Jupiter system and are revealing new avenues for up-close investigation by the upcoming Europa Clipper mission.

Cody Hall

Samantha Trumbo, UC San Diego

April 09, 2025
2:00pm - 3:00pm