3D simulations of TRAPPIST-1e with varying CO2, CH4 and haze profiles [dataset]

Dataset of 3D simulations of TRAPPIST-1e with varying CO2, CH4 and haze profiles

Using a 3D General Circulation Model, the Unified Model, we present results from simulations of a tidally locked TRAPPIST-1e with varying CO2 and CH4 gas concentrations, and their corresponding prescribed spherical haze profiles. Our results show that the presence of CO2 leads to a warmer atmosphere globally due to its greenhouse effect, with the increase of surface temperature on the day side surface up to ∼14.1 K, and on the night side up to ∼21.2 K. The presence of CH4 can lead to a peak in the change of surface temperature on the day side due to the balance of tropospheric warming and stratospheric cooling. A thin layer of haze, formed when CH4/CO2 = 0.1, leads to a day side warming of ∼4.9 K due to a change in the water vapour and cloud distribution. The haze reaches an optical threshold thickness when CH4/CO2 ∼0.4 beyond which the day side mean surface temperature does not vary much. The planet is more favourable to habitability (surface temperature above 273.15 K) when pCO2 is high, pCH4 is low and the haze layer is thin. The effect of CO2, CH4 and haze on the day side is similar to that for a rapidly-rotating planet. On the contrary, their effect on the night side depends on the wind structure and the wind speed in the simulation.