arXiv subjects

Erica Bisesi

Publications and source records attributed to Erica Bisesi.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Assessing the Climate and Habitability of Tidally Locked Rocky Exoplanets

Tidally locked exoplanets orbiting M dwarf stars are prime targets in the search for habitable worlds, yet their complex climate dynamics challenge conventional models of habitability. We homogeneously estimated the liquid-water habitability of exoplanets with the highest up-to-date Earth-similarity index. We modified the climate model PLASIM to apply it to tidally locked exoplanets across a range of parameters. We systematically classified and compared potentially habitable exoplanets and selected among the ones featuring the highest Earth-similarity index in the conservative sample of the Habitable Wolds Catalog, both relative to each other and as a function of atmospheric pressure. Our analysis revealed three main climate regimes: Snowball, Hot, and Eyeball planets-the latter having a warm and habitable substellar region with T > 273 K and a localized hydrological cycle. Although surface temperature generally increases with pressure, Eyeball planet climates remain stable in a wide pressure range. Complex atmospheric dynamics govern the behavior of the climate, highlighting the need for detailed climate simulations to guide future observations.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2026

Interaction between vegetation and Snowball phases in the late Proterozoic Earth

Between 2.4 and 0.6 Gy ago, our planet underwent several episodes of global glaciations, including the Snowball Earth case that ended 635 My ago. Causes of this last Snowball event presumably included a decreased greenhouse gas concentration and high continental albedo, both associated with the passage of the super-continent Rodinia at equatorial latitudes. When large continental masses are in equatorial regions, silicate weathering is enhanced, leading to decreased atmospheric CO2 concentration, while the bare continental masses, which at the time hosted no vegetation, enhanced reflection of solar radiation. Since then, no other Snowball episodes were recorded. Here we numerically explore the climatic dynamics of a rocky planet for different values of solar output, continental configuration (current and Rodinia-like), CO2 concentration and continental albedo, simulating the effects of land vegetation. We found that for the solar input typical of 600-700 My ago (95% of the current value), the presence of bare continents with albedo 0.35 (granite) in the position estimated for Rodinia was sufficient to trigger a Snowball state for CO2 concentrations up to at least 1000 ppm. When bare continents are located in modern positions, Snowball could be triggered only for values of CO2 concentration below 400 ppm. At current solar input values, Snowball states appear only at or below 100 ppm. Thus, we found: a lower solar output is an essential component of the transition to Snowball; the presence of land vegetation is crucial and reduces the probability of entering a Snowball state; a low CO2 concentration was not needed for triggering a Snowball in bare Rodinia-like conditions and reduced solar output; current solar luminosity does not allow Snowball states, even for equatorial continents, unless continental albedo is that of granite and CO2 concentration is 100 ppm or less. [Abridged]

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2024

Impact of vegetation albedo on the habitability of Earth-like exoplanets

Vegetation can modify the planetary surface albedo via the Charney mechanism, as plants are usually darker than the bare surface of the continents. We updated ESTM (Earth-like Surface Temperature Model) to incorporate the presence, distribution and evolution of two dynamically competing vegetation types that resemble grasslands and trees (the latter in the double stages of life: adults and seedlings). The newly developed model was applied to estimate how the climate-vegetation system reaches equilibrium across different rocky planetary configurations, and to assess its impact on temperature and habitability. With respect to a world with bare granite continents, the effect of vegetation-albedo feedback is to increase the average surface temperature. Since grasses and trees exhibit different albedos, they affect temperature to different degrees. The ultimate impact on climate depends on the outcome of the competition between these vegetation types. The change in albedo due to vegetation extends the habitable zone and enhances the overall planetary habitability beyond its traditional outer edge. This effect is especially relevant for planets that have a larger extension of continents than Earth. For Earth, the semi-major axis d = 1.04 UA represents the turning point where vegetation enhances habitability from h = 0.0 to h = 0.485 (in the grass-dominance case), to h = 0.584 (in the case of coexistence between grasses and trees), and to h = 0.612 (in the tree-dominance case). This illustrates the transition from a snowball state to a planet with intermediate habitability at the outer edge of the circumstellar habitability zone.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2023

Seasonal thaws under mid-to-low pressure atmospheres on Early Mars

Despite decades of scientific research on the subject, the climate of the first 1.5 Gyr of Mars history has not been fully understood yet. Especially challenging is the need to reconcile the presence of liquid water for extended periods of time on the martian surface with the comparatively low insolation received by the planet, a problem which is known as the Faint Young Sun (FYS) Paradox. In this paper we use ESTM, a latitudinal energy balance model with enhanced prescriptions for meridional heat diffusion, and the radiative transfer code EOS to investigate how seasonal variations of temperature can give rise to local conditions which are conductive to liquid water runoffs. We include the effects of the martian dichotomy, a northern ocean with either 150 or 550 m of Global Equivalent Layer (GEL) and simplified CO$_2$ or H$_2$O clouds. We find that 1.3-to-2.0 bar CO$_2$-dominated atmospheres can produce seasonal thaws due to inefficient heat redistribution, provided that the eccentricity and the obliquity of the planet are sufficiently different from zero. We also studied the impact of different values for the argument of perihelion. When local favorable conditions exist, they nearly always persist for $>15\%$ of the martian year. These results are obtained without the need for additional greenhouse gases (e.g. H$_2$, CH$_4$) or transient heat-injecting phenomena (e.g. asteroid impacts, volcanic eruptions). Moderate amounts (0.1 to 1\%) of CH$_4$ significantly widens the parameter space region in which seasonal thaws are possible.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2008

Planning Curricular Proposals on Sound and Music with Prospective Secondary-School Teachers

Sound is a preferred context to build foundations on wave phenomena, one of the most important disciplinary referents in physics. It is also one of the best-set frameworks to achieve transversality, overcoming scholastic level and activating emotional aspects which are naturally connected with every day life, as well as with music and perception. Looking at sound and music by a transversal perspective - a border-line approach between science and art, is the adopted statement for a teaching proposal using meta-cognition as a strategy in scientific education. This work analyzes curricular proposals on musical acoustics, planned by prospective secondary-school teachers in the framework of a Formative Intervention Module answering the expectation of making more effective teaching scientific subjects by improving creative capabilities, as well as leading to build logical and scientific categorizations able to consciously discipline artistic activity in music students. With this aim, a particular emphasis is given to those concepts - like sound parameters and structural elements of a musical piece, which are best fitted to be addressed on a transversal perspective, involving simultaneously physics, psychophysics and music.

physics.ed-ph↗