Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

States of Water01:23

States of Water

55.9K
Water exists in any one of the three classical states: solid (ice), liquid (water), and gas (steam or water vapor). The state of water depends on i) the intermolecular forces that draw molecules together and ii) the kinetic energy that leads to movements that pull them apart.
Water freezes when the intermolecular forces are greater than the kinetic energy. Unlike most other substances, water is less dense in its solid state than in its liquid state. This is because each water molecule can form...
55.9K
The Water Cycle01:00

The Water Cycle

28.1K
The Earth’s hydrosphere includes all of the areas where the storage and movement of water occurs. Since water is the basis of all living processes, the cycling of water is extremely important to ecosystem dynamics.
28.1K
Water and Mineral Acquisition02:34

Water and Mineral Acquisition

35.2K
Specialized tissues in plant roots have evolved to capture water, minerals, and some ions from the soil. Roots exhibit a variety of branching patterns that facilitate this process. The outermost root cells have specialized structures called root hairs that increase the root surface, thus increasing soil contact. Water can passively cross into roots, as the concentration of water in the soil is higher than that of the root tissue. Minerals, in contrast, are actively transported into root cells.
35.2K
Acceleration due to Gravity on Other Planets01:24

Acceleration due to Gravity on Other Planets

4.8K
The gravitational acceleration of an object near the Earth's surface is called the acceleration due to gravity. It can be measured by conducting simple experiments on Earth. However, such an experiment is impossible to conduct on the surface of other planets.
Astronomical observations are thus used to measure the acceleration due to gravity on other planets. This can be determined by observing the effect of a planet's gravity on objects close to it. The crucial factor that helps in this...
4.8K
Body Water Content and Fluid Compartments01:19

Body Water Content and Fluid Compartments

3.9K
Life's biochemical processes occur within aqueous solutions. Solutes are substances that are dissolved within these solutions. The human body contains a variety of solutes, which can differ across various body parts. These can encompass proteins—such as those responsible for clotting and carbohydrate transport—as well as electrolytes. In medicine, an electrolyte is often described as a mineral ion derived from a salt possessing an electric charge. Examples include sodium ions...
3.9K
Conditions on Early Earth02:06

Conditions on Early Earth

100.3K
Around 4 billion years ago, oceans began to condense on earth while volcanic eruptions released nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, and hydrogen into the primordial atmosphere. However, organisms with the characteristics of life were not initially present on earth. Scientists have used experimentation to determine how organisms evolved that could grow, reproduce, and maintain an internal environment.
100.3K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Modern arc-like water content in the source of 3.1-billion-year-old volcanic rocks.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Pareto Optimality: Another Way to Find Life?

Astrobiology·2026
Same author

Exo-Geoscience Perspectives Beyond Habitability.

Space science reviews·2026
Same author

Little to no active faulting likely at Europa's seafloor today.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Fundamentals of Interior Modelling and Challenges in the Interpretation of Observed Rocky Exoplanets.

Space science reviews·2025
Same author

Beyond the Second Law: Darwinian Evolution as a Tendency for Entropy Production to Increase.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 13, 2026

Surface Mapping of Earth-like Exoplanets using Single Point Light Curves
06:48

Surface Mapping of Earth-like Exoplanets using Single Point Light Curves

Published on: May 10, 2020

3.9K

Water Versus Land on Temperate Rocky Planets.

Claire Marie Guimond1, Tilman Spohn2, Svetlana Berdyugina3

  • 1Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Planetary Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Rd, Oxford, OX1 3PU UK.

Space Science Reviews
|January 12, 2026
PubMed
Summary

The ratio of water to land on rocky planets influences climate and life. Future telescopes may determine this ratio on exoplanets by analyzing surface reflectance, aiding the search for habitable worlds.

More Related Videos

Manufacturing Simple and Inexpensive Soil Surface Temperature and Gravimetric Water Content Sensors
08:49

Manufacturing Simple and Inexpensive Soil Surface Temperature and Gravimetric Water Content Sensors

Published on: December 21, 2019

10.0K
Exploring the Effects of Atmospheric Forcings on Evaporation: Experimental Integration of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer and Shallow Subsurface
13:27

Exploring the Effects of Atmospheric Forcings on Evaporation: Experimental Integration of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer and Shallow Subsurface

Published on: June 8, 2015

9.1K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 13, 2026

Surface Mapping of Earth-like Exoplanets using Single Point Light Curves
06:48

Surface Mapping of Earth-like Exoplanets using Single Point Light Curves

Published on: May 10, 2020

3.9K
Manufacturing Simple and Inexpensive Soil Surface Temperature and Gravimetric Water Content Sensors
08:49

Manufacturing Simple and Inexpensive Soil Surface Temperature and Gravimetric Water Content Sensors

Published on: December 21, 2019

10.0K
Exploring the Effects of Atmospheric Forcings on Evaporation: Experimental Integration of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer and Shallow Subsurface
13:27

Exploring the Effects of Atmospheric Forcings on Evaporation: Experimental Integration of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer and Shallow Subsurface

Published on: June 8, 2015

9.1K

Area of Science:

  • Planetary Science
  • Astrobiology
  • Geophysics

Background:

  • Planetary surface interactions with atmosphere and stellar radiation shape environments.
  • These environments influence prebiotic chemistry and the evolution of life.
  • Understanding the water/land ratio is crucial for assessing planetary habitability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review physical conditions determining planetary land/sea ratios.
  • To examine the climatic and biologic effects of this ratio.
  • To assess the feasibility of constraining exoplanet water/land ratios with future observations.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of water delivery mechanisms to rocky planets.
  • Review of water sequestration limits in planetary mantles.
  • Examination of surface processes shaping ocean basins and topography.
  • Modeling of Earth's surface reflectance for exoplanet analog studies.

Main Results:

  • Multiple mechanisms can deliver significant water to rocky planets.
  • Planetary mantle water content is limited, likely <2000 ppm.
  • Water/land ratio results from a balance of water volume and planetary topography.
  • Earth-like exoplanet water/land ratios are potentially determinable via reflectance mapping.

Conclusions:

  • The water/land ratio is a key factor in planetary habitability.
  • Future high-contrast imaging telescopes can constrain exoplanet water/land ratios.
  • This capability will advance the search for life beyond Earth.