  In this white paper, we assess the potential for JWST to characterize the
atmospheres of super-Earth exoplanets, by simulating a range of transiting
spectra with different masses and temperatures. Our results are based on a JWST
simulator tuned to the expected performance of the workhorse spectroscopic
instrument NIRSpec, and is based on the latest exoplanet transit models by Howe
& Burrows (2012). This study is especially timely since the observing modes for
the science instruments on JWST are finalized (Clampin 2010) and because NASA
has selected the TESS mission as an upcoming Explorer. TESS is expected to
identify more than 1000 transiting exoplanet candidates, including a sample of
about 100 nearby (<50 pc) super- Earths (Ricker et al. 2010).
