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 instead determine
which processes and parameters are required to map directly to the
target ocean world environment with high fidelity to address the science
question or engineering challenge. Where there are discrepancies between
the model and target environment, we must fully understand how those
limitations impact the applicability of the study, and mitigate these
where possible using alternative approaches. Here we present a two-step
approach to 1) identify the most crucial processes and parameters
associated with a given science question and 2) 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. Our proposed framework will not only
enhance the scientific rigor of field research but also provide access
to a broader range of field sites relevant to ocean worlds processes,
enabling a greater diversity of ocean and geological science
researchers.