Doris Breuer

Interior and surface dynamics of terrestrial bodies and their implications for the habitability

For the Earth, it is speculated that plate tectonics plays an important role for its long-term habitability at the surface. This convection mechanism transports efficiently surface material by subduction into the planetary interior and allows life to grow and survive due to recycling of nutrients, the stabilization of the climate and the cooling of the deep interior. The latter further helps to maintain the magnetic field that protects the atmosphere from erosion and life from harmful radiation.