Prospects for water vapor detection in the atmospheres of temperate and arid rocky exoplanets around M-dwarf stars

TL;DR

Detecting water vapor in arid rocky exoplanets around M-dwarfs could be more feasible than on Earth-like planets, but observational challenges require combined space and ground-based efforts.

Contribution

This study analyzes the potential for detecting atmospheric water vapor on arid exoplanets, highlighting advantages over Earth-like planets and discussing observational challenges.

Findings

Water vapor detection may be easier on arid planets with surface ice deposits.

Cloud formation on Earth-like planets can hinder water vapor detection.

Multiple observational methods are necessary for reliable detection.

Abstract

Detection of water vapor in the atmosphere of temperate rocky exoplanets would be a major milestone on the path towards characterization of exoplanet habitability. Past modeling work has shown that cloud formation may prevent the detection of water vapor on Earth-like planets with surface oceans using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Here we analyze the potential for atmospheric detection of H2O on a different class of targets: arid planets. Using transit spectrum simulations, we show that atmospheric H2O may be easier to be detected on arid planets with cold-trapped ice deposits on the surface, because such planets will not possess thick H2O cloud decks that limit the transit depth of spectral features. However, additional factors such as band overlap with CO2 and other gases, extinction by mineral dust, overlap of stellar and planetary H2O lines, and the ultimate noise floor obtainable by JWST still pose important challenges. For this reason, combination of space- and ground-based spectroscopic observations will be essential for reliable detection of H2O on rocky exoplanets in the future.