A simple model for studying the influence of exoplanets climate on their habitability

We developed a simple model of exoplanets climate, called ESTM (Earth-like planet Surface Temperature Model), based on a one-dimensional energy balance model (EBM) that describes the latitudinal heat transport on the planet using a modified diffusion equation. It is complemented by: radiative–convective atmospheric column calculations, a set of physically based parameterizations of the diffusion coefficient, and descriptions of surface and cloud properties more refined than in standard EBMs. Such a model is computationally light, and can thus be used to investigate the parameter space of planets. Many parameters have a strong impact on the surface temperature but are very difficuly to directly observe; e.g. planetary ocean fraction, planetary rotation period etc. We show how such a model can be used for studying the habitability of example earth-like exoplanets and discuss its limitations