A Comprehensive Framework for Assessing Terrestrial Analogue Field Sites for Ocean Worlds
Abstract Field studies at terrestrial analogue sites represent an important contribution to the science of ocean worlds. The value of the science and technology investigations conducted at field analogue sites depends on the relevance of the analogue environment to the target ocean world. We accept that there are no perfect analogues for many of the unique environments represented by ocean worlds but suggest that a one‐to‐one matching of environmental characteristics and conditions is not crucial to the success or impact of the work. Instead, we must determine which processes and parameters are required to map directly to the target ocean world environment with high fidelity to address the science question. In this review paper, we discuss the outcomes of a workshop aimed at developing a new framework for evaluating the suitability of analogue field locations for ocean worlds research. Here we present a two‐step approach to (a) identify the most crucial processes and parameters associated with a given science question and (b) assess the fidelity of these processes and parameters at a proposed field site to those expected for the target ocean world. We demonstrate this approach in a test case evaluating three types of ocean world analogue environments with respect to a science question. The consensus document presented here equips veteran and new investigators with valuable tools to better assess and justify their analogue site selections.
Authors
- P. Whelley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3266-9772)
- Lauren Seyler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5194-3653)
- Peter T. Doran (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3774-2847)
- Trista J. Vick‐Majors (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6868-4010)
- Emily S. Martin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7676-5195)
- Alta Howells (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5700-7842)
- Virginia P. Edgcomb (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6805-381X)
- Amanda V. Steckel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1345-8240)
- Schuyler R. Borges (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4565-6463)
- K. P. Hand (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3225-9426)
- Benjamin Hockman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5865-9727)
- Michael J. Malaska (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0064-5258)
- Amy R. Smith (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2631-5989)
- C. A. Nixon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9540-9121)
- Catherine Colello Walker (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4019-1000)
- S. Vance (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4242-3293)
- J. Radebaugh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7022-892X)
- John R. Spear (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4664-7438)
- D. M. Bower (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4275-1318)
- Justin Lawrence (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7520-5914)
- James F. Holden (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4343-2378)
- Heather Valeah Graham (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1986-1885)
- Julie A. Huber (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4790-7633)
- N. C. Schmerr (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3256-1262)
- J. C. Stern
- Laura E. Rodriguez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2876-5051)
- Natalie S. Wolfenbarger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7990-3891)
- Jeff S. Bowman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8811-6280)
- B. E. Schmidt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7376-8510)
- Melisa A. Diaz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6657-358X)
- Brook L. Nunn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7361-4359)
- Aaron C. Noell
- Samuel W. Courville (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9539-1301)
- Matthew O. Schrenk (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5623-8558)
- Anezina Solomonidou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4033-5898)
- Bradley Burcar
Institutions
- Brigham Young University (US)
- Smithsonian Institution (US)
- Michigan Technological University (US)
- Louisiana State University (US)
- Ames Research Center (US)
- Goddard Space Flight Center (US)
- Bard College at Simon's Rock (US)
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory (US)
- Honeybee Robotics (United States) (US)
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography (US)
- Colorado School of Mines (US)
- University of Colorado Boulder (US)
- University of Washington (US)
- Northern Arizona University (US)
- Cornell University (US)
- Stockton University (US)
- University of Massachusetts Amherst (US)
- University of California San Diego (US)
- National Air and Space Museum (US)
- The Ohio State University (US)
- Arizona State University (US)
- Lunar and Planetary Institute (US)
- University of Maryland, College Park (US)
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (US)
- Michigan State University (US)
- Stanford University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Geophysical Research Planets
- Published
- 2025-09-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1029/2024je008803
- Primary Topic
- Planetary Science and Exploration
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration