Article

# Rotational Variability of Earth's Polar Regions: Implications for Detecting Snowball Planets

The Astrophysical Journal (impact factor: 6.02). 03/2011; 731(1):76. DOI:10.1088/0004-637X/731/1/76 pp.76

ABSTRACT We have obtained the first time-resolved, disk-integrated observations of Earth's poles with the Deep Impact spacecraft as part of the EPOXI mission of opportunity. These data mimic what we will see when we point next-generation space telescopes at nearby exoplanets. We use principal component analysis (PCA) and rotational light curve inversion to characterize color inhomogeneities and map their spatial distribution from these unusual vantage points, as a complement to the equatorial views presented by Cowan et al. in 2009. We also perform the same PCA on a suite of simulated rotational multi-band light curves from NASA's Virtual Planetary Laboratory three-dimensional spectral Earth model. This numerical experiment allows us to understand what sorts of surface features PCA can robustly identify. We find that the EPOXI polar observations have similar broadband colors as the equatorial Earth, but with 20%-30% greater apparent albedo. This is because the polar observations are most sensitive to mid-latitudes, which tend to be more cloudy than the equatorial latitudes emphasized by the original EPOXI Earth observations. The cloudiness of the mid-latitudes also manifests itself in the form of increased variability at short wavelengths in the polar observations and as a dominant gray eigencolor in the south polar observation. We construct a simple reflectance model for a snowball Earth. By construction, our model has a higher Bond albedo than the modern Earth; its surface albedo is so high that Rayleigh scattering does not noticeably affect its spectrum. The rotational color variations occur at short wavelengths due to the large contrast between glacier ice and bare land in those wavebands. Thus, we find that both the broadband colors and diurnal color variations of such a planet would be easily distinguishable from the modern-day Earth, regardless of viewing angle.

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26 Sep 2012

### Keywords

20%-30% greater apparent albedo

bare land

data mimic

disk-integrated observations

diurnal color variations

dominant gray eigencolor

EPOXI polar observations

equatorial latitudes emphasized

equatorial views

higher Bond albedo

large contrast

mid-latitudes

modern-day Earth

original EPOXI Earth observations

rotational light curve inversion

short wavelengths

simple reflectance model

simulated rotational multi-band light curves

south polar observation

unusual vantage points