A bistable organic-rich atmosphere on the Neoarchaean Earth

Zerkle, Aubrey L.; Claire, Mark; Domagal-Goldman, Shawn; Farquhar, James; Poulton, Simon W.

doi:10.1038/ngeo1425

Cited by 218 publications

(233 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…On the other hand, the expansion of euxinia in the Neoarchean (Reinhard et al, 2009;Scott et al, 2011) could have drawn down marine Mo levels and limited its bioavailability. The balance of these effects is unknown, and may have fluctuated, perhaps on similar timescales to fluctuations in atmospheric redox states (Izon et al, 2015;Zerkle et al, 2012). As noted above, sample limitation prohibits inferences about global nitrogen cycling, and so it is possible that occurrences of aerobic activity were local phenomena.…”

Section: Neoarchean (28-25 Gyr)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are no documented occurrences of euxinia in the Paleo-and Meso-Archean, suggesting that marine sulfate concentrations were very low, possibly <0.2 mM (Habicht et al, 2002). This may have changed around 2.75 Gyr when multiple lines of evidence, including elevated Mo, sulfide and organic carbon concentrations, and isotopic fractionations suggest that terrestrial and shallow marine environments became increasingly oxygenated (Eigenbrode and Freeman, 2006;Gregory et al, 2015;Kendall et al, 2010;Kurzweil et al, 2013;Kurzweil et al, 2015;Siebert et al, 2005;Wille et al, 2007;Zerkle et al, 2012). The deep ocean probably continued to be anoxic in the late Archean, but euxinia developed along some continental margins, at least temporarily (e.g.…”

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confidence: 99%

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The evolution of Earth's biogeochemical nitrogen cycle

Stüeken

Kipp

Koehler

et al. 2016

Earth-Science Reviews

315

287

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Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for all life on Earth and it acts as a major control on biological productivity in the modern ocean. Accurate reconstructions of the evolution of life over the course of the last four billion years therefore demand a better understanding of nitrogen bioavailability and speciation through time. The biogeochemical nitrogen cycle has evidently been closely tied to the redox state of the ocean and atmosphere. Multiple lines of evidence indicate that the Earth"s surface has passed in a non-linear fashion from an anoxic state in the Hadean to an oxic state in the later Phanerozoic. It is therefore likely that the nitrogen cycle has changed markedly over time, with potentially severe implications for the productivity and evolution of the biosphere. Here we compile nitrogen isotope data from the literature and review our current understanding of the evolution of the nitrogen cycle, with particular emphasis on the Precambrian. Combined with recent work on redox conditions, trace metal availability, sulfur and iron cycling on the early Earth, we then use the nitrogen isotope record as a platform to test existing and new hypotheses about biogeochemical pathways that may have controlled nitrogen availability through time. Among other things, we conclude that (a) abiotic nitrogen sources were likely insufficient to sustain a large biosphere, thus favoring an early origin of biological N 2 fixation, (b) evidence of nitrate in the Neoarchean and Paleoproterozoic confirm current views of increasing surface oxygen levels at those times, (c) abundant ferrous iron and sulfide in the midPrecambrian ocean may have affected the speciation and size of the fixed nitrogen reservoir, and (d) nitrate availability alone was not a major driver of eukaryotic evolution.

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Section: Neoarchean (28-25 Gyr)mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The evolution of Earth's biogeochemical nitrogen cycle

Stüeken

Kipp

Koehler

et al. 2016

Earth-Science Reviews

315

287

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Any viable explanation for stepwise oxygen evolution must involve a fundamental change in the way the Earth system operates; perturbations, even massive organic carbon burial events, bolide impacts, or flood basalt eruptions, in themselves cannot effect permanent change in Earth's surface environment [unless the system is bistable (25,26); the persistently anoxic Archean suggests that bistability, if it existed, developed as a result of secular evolution]. Temporal trends in solar luminosity, heat flow, and the supply of reductant from Earth's interior can drive the Earth system through thresholds, leading to stepwise change.…”

Section: Hypothesis For the Stepwise Oxygenation Of The Atmospherementioning

confidence: 99%

Hypothesized link between Neoproterozoic greening of the land surface and the establishment of an oxygen-rich atmosphere

Kump

2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Significance The evolution of the biota and of atmospheric composition have been tightly coupled throughout Earth history. Of key importance has been the establishment of an oxygen-rich atmosphere, and this has apparently occurred in two major steps. The second step occurred during the Neoproterozoic, at the time when various lines of evidence suggest a significant expansion of terrestrial life and soil development. The present paper links these two events in a unique way, not through increased oxygen production on land, but through increased consumption in biotic soils that until compensated by higher atmospheric oxygen levels, restricted the supply of oxygen to the weathering environment.

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“…Furthermore, under certain conditions, the system may have crossed over from one state to another. Such a structure has been verified several times in the climate system (Goldblatt et al, 2006;Alexander et al, 2012;Zerkle et al, 2012).…”

Section: Characteristics Of Abrupt Change Process Of Pacific Decadal mentioning

confidence: 99%

A novel method for analyzing the process of abrupt climate change

Yan

Feng

Hou

2015

Nonlin. Processes Geophys.

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Abstract.A climate system which is transitioning from one state to another is known as an abrupt climate change. Most of the recent studies regarding abrupt climate change have focused on the changes occurring before and after the abrupt change point, while little attention has been given to the "transition process" which occurs when the system breaks away from the original state to a new state. In this study, a novel method for analyzing the process of abrupt climate change was presented. By using the mathematical model based on the logistic model, the process of the abrupt change could be analyzed and divided into different phases which include start moment, end moment, stable state, and unstable transition state. Meanwhile, the method was confirmed to be effective by testing in a study of Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) time sequence, and the results of this study specify that this abrupt change process (ACP) of PDO has a relationship with global warming.

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A bistable organic-rich atmosphere on the Neoarchaean Earth

Cited by 218 publications

References 34 publications

The evolution of Earth's biogeochemical nitrogen cycle

The evolution of Earth's biogeochemical nitrogen cycle

Hypothesized link between Neoproterozoic greening of the land surface and the establishment of an oxygen-rich atmosphere

A novel method for analyzing the process of abrupt climate change

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