Fig. 4: Heat flow required for basal melting as a function of surface gravity and temperature for ice sheets 1–4 km in thickness.
From: Liquid water on cold exo-Earths via basal melting of ice sheets
a Heat flow required for basal melting as a function of surface gravity and surface temperature for a 1-km thick ice sheet. The white dots (the numbers correspond to the index number of planets in Table 1) show the approximate surface gravity and surface temperature of the exo-Earths considered in the study. b–d Same as (a), but for 2–4 km thick ice sheets. e A box and whisker diagram showing the heat flow distribution in the continental and the oceanic regions of the Earth. The box’s lower and upper extent corresponds to the 25th and 75th percentile of the heat flow values, and the center corresponds to the median heat flow values.
