Jul 21, 2014 11:10 AM EDT By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

New research has shown that for an exoplanet to sustain life, oceans are necessary for their climate moderation.

Reported in a press release, a team of scientists led by researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) published their study in the journal Astrobiology, a NASA publication. Their new study shows that the presence of oceans is important for distant Earth-like planets to stabilize its habitability.

"The number of planets being discovered outside our solar system is rapidly increasing. This research will help answer whether or not these planets could sustain alien life," David Stevens, a professor at UEA's School of Maths and Environmental Sciences, said in the release. "We know that many planets are completely uninhabitable because they are either too close or too far from their sun. A planet's habitable zone is based on its distance from the sun and temperatures at which it is possible for the planet to have liquid water.

"But until now, most habitability models have neglected the impact of oceans on climate."

During a panel discussion last week at NASA's D.C. headquarters, some of the space agency's top scientists agreed that the probability of alien life existing somewhere other than Earth is highly likely. They also suggested that such an exoplanet could be found within the next two decades.

With various observational probes in our own solar system, NASA has already found ways of identifying bodies of water on planets and moons.

"Oceans have an immense capacity to control climate. They are beneficial because they cause the surface temperature to respond very slowly to seasonal changes in solar heating. And they help ensure that temperature swings across a planet are kept to tolerable levels," Stevens said. "We found that heat transported by oceans would have a major impact on the temperature distribution across a planet, and would potentially allow a greater area of a planet to be habitable.

"This new model will help us to understand what the climates of other planets might be like with more accurate detail than ever before."

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