The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20160125002056/http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2001Sci...293..839C
Sign on

SAO/NASA ADS Physics Abstract Service

· Find Similar Abstracts (with default settings below)
· Electronic Refereed Journal Article (HTML)
· Full Refereed Journal Article (PDF/Postscript)
· References in the article
· Citations to the Article (82) (Citation History)
· Refereed Citations to the Article
· Also-Read Articles (Reads History)
·
· Translate This Page
Title:
Biogenic Methane, Hydrogen Escape, and the Irreversible Oxidation of Early Earth
Authors:
Catling, David C.; Zahnle, Kevin J.; McKay, Christopher P.
Affiliation:
AA(Mail Stop 245-3, Space Science Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA.; SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.), AB(Mail Stop 245-3, Space Science Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA.), AC(Mail Stop 245-3, Space Science Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA.)
Publication:
Science, Volume 293, Issue 5531, pp. 839-843 (2001). (Sci Homepage)
Publication Date:
08/2001
Category:
GEOCHEM PHYS
Origin:
SCIENCE
DOI:
10.1126/science.1061976
Bibliographic Code:
2001Sci...293..839C

Abstract

The low O2 content of the Archean atmosphere implies that methane should have been present at levels ~102 to 103 parts per million volume (ppmv) (compared with 1.7 ppmv today) given a plausible biogenic source. CH4 is favored as the greenhouse gas that countered the lower luminosity of the early Sun. But abundant CH4 implies that hydrogen escapes to space (↑space) orders of magnitude faster than today. Such reductant loss oxidizes the Earth. Photosynthesis splits water into O2 and H, and methanogenesis transfers the H into CH4. Hydrogen escape after CH4 photolysis, therefore, causes a net gain of oxygen [CO2 + 2H2O --> CH4 + 2O2 --> CO2 + O2 + 4H(↑space)]. Expected irreversible oxidation (~1012 to 1013 moles oxygen per year) may help explain how Earth's surface environment became irreversibly oxidized.
Bibtex entry for this abstract   Preferred format for this abstract (see Preferences)
  New!

Find Similar Abstracts:

Use: Authors
Title
Abstract Text
Return: Query Results Return    items starting with number
Query Form
Database: Astronomy
Physics
arXiv e-prints
    


Morty Proxy This is a proxified and sanitized view of the page, visit original site.