The hydrosphere as a research area encompasses the integrated scientific study of all Earth water reservoirs—oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, groundwater, soil moisture, glaciers, ice caps, and atmospheric water vapor—and their dynamic interactions with the atmosphere, lithosphere, biosphere, and cryosphere. Research addresses physical, chemical, and biological processes governing water distribution, phase changes, circulation, and residence times across scales, from molecular to global. It involves quantifying fluxes in the hydrological cycle, assessing water mass and energy budgets, and evaluating anthropogenic impacts on water quality and availability, frequently using observational networks, remote sensing, numerical modeling, and coupled Earth system models.
Careful reanalysis of data from more than a decade ago indicates that Saturn's biggest moon, Titan, does not have a vast ocean beneath its icy surface, as suggested previously. Instead, a journey below the frozen exterior ...
Astrobiology
Dec 17, 2025
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67
ESA's first Scout mission, HydroGNSS, was launched on 28 November 2025, marking a significant step in advancing global understanding of water availability and the effects of climate change on Earth's water cycle.
Space Exploration
Dec 1, 2025
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1
Scientists from New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) have uncovered new evidence that water once flowed beneath the surface of Mars, revealing that the planet may have remained habitable for life much longer than previously ...
Astrobiology
Nov 12, 2025
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163
Terraforming is the theoretical process of transforming a planet or moon to make it habitable for humans and other Earth-like life. The concept involves altering an alien world's atmosphere, temperature, and surface conditions ...
Astrobiology
Oct 13, 2025
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29
New research using NASA's Perseverance rover has uncovered strong evidence that Mars' Jezero Crater experienced multiple episodes of fluid activity—each with conditions that could have supported life.
Astrobiology
Sep 18, 2025
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60
Alone among known planets, Earth has vast oceans on its surface and its landmasses are marked with lakes and extensive river drainage systems. Water is the biosphere's lifeblood, and without it, Earth would be just another ...
Planetary Sciences
Jul 15, 2025
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22
When a mudflat crumbles on Earth, or an ice sheet splinters on one of Jupiter's moons (Europa), or an ancient lakebed breaks on Mars, do these fractures follow a hidden geometric script? Could similar patterns on another ...
Astrobiology
Mar 5, 2025
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14
A team led by a Rutgers-New Brunswick scientist has concluded water did not arrive as early during Earth's formation as previously thought, an insight that bears directly on the question of when life originated on the planet.
Astrobiology
Feb 3, 2025
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51
A new study explores how variations in Mars' crustal thickness during its ancient history may have influenced the planet's magmatic evolution and hydrological systems. The research, published in Earth and Planetary Science ...
Astrobiology
Dec 19, 2024
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101
With a spacecraft launching soon, the mission will try to answer the question of whether there are ingredients suitable for life in the ocean below Europa's icy crust.
Planetary Sciences
Oct 14, 2024
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14
