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<strong>Could There Be Europan Macrofauna?</strong> <p>It is natural to wonder whether analogs to giant squid or other macrofauna might exist in the europan ocean. Terrestrial metazoa require high levels of dissolved oxygen. For example, benthic macrofauna require O<sub>2</sub> concentrations above <img alt="approx" src="/user_files/Image/Symbols/ap.gif">20 µM (<a href="http://www.biology-online.org/articles/references-possible_ecosystems_and_the_search_for_life_on_europa.htm#B70">70</a>). Even in a complete absence of O<sub>2</sub> sinks in Europa's ocean, the production rate of O<sub>2</sub> from H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> derived above would require <img alt="approx" src="/user_files/Image/Symbols/ap.gif">200 million years to oxygenate Europa's entire ocean to this level. Calculating H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> via <em>n</em> = FGt would decrease this time to <img alt="approx" src="/user_files/Image/Symbols/ap.gif">5 × 10<sup>4</sup> yr, but this requires significant recycling of the upper meter of Europa's ice. If this does not occur, and if we assume that europan macrofauna would face the same high-energy respiration requirements as terrestrial macrofauna, we are challenged to find a sufficient source of O<sub>2</sub> production in the absence of photosynthesis. </p>
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