oceancovered

Oceancovered is a term used in planetary science to describe a planetary surface state in which liquid water oceans cover the majority of the world’s surface, with little or no exposed land. It is commonly applied to discussions of water worlds or ocean planets—hypothetical or candidate worlds in which a global ocean extends over the crust, potentially with high-pressure ice at depth.

In climate models, oceancovered planets exhibit ocean-dominated heat transport, which can moderate surface temperatures and shape weather patterns. The near-absence of continents reduces land-based weathering cycles and can alter carbon cycling, while cloud dynamics and sea-ice play key roles in planetary albedo and greenhouse forcing.

Geologically and biologically, an oceancovered world may lack Earth-like continent-driven tectonics, but seabed processes, hydrothermal activity, and ocean chemistry can still sustain geological exchange and possibly life. The concept is central to studies of habitability and biosignatures on water-rich exoplanets.

Observationally, determining the exact ocean fraction of an exoplanet remains challenging. Researchers rely on indirect indicators from transit and phase-curve observations, spectra, and modelling to infer surface and atmospheric properties. The term oceancovered remains primarily a theoretical classification used to compare Earth with potential water-rich worlds.