Multiple oscillations in Neoarchaean atmospheric chemistry

Izon, Gareth; Zerkle, Aubrey L.; Zhelezinskaia, Iadviga; Farquhar, James; Newton, Robert J.; Poulton, Simon W.; Eigenbrode, J. L.; Claire, Mark

doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2015.09.018

Cited by 73 publications

(89 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…26). Therefore, the low δ 13 C Org data observed in GKF01 (and other Neoarchean sedimentary successions) can be explained in two ways: (i) increased methanotrophy assimilating more methane into the sedimentary record independent of the methane flux (26,27) or (ii) enhanced methanogenesis increasing environmental methane availability, with a parallel increase in methanotrophy (8,9). Sedimentary δ…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The disappearance of S-MIF is widely cited as reflecting a critical change in the Earth's atmospheric state, where oxygen exceeded 0.001% of present atmospheric levels (3) during the so-called Great Oxidation Event (GOE; [4][5][6]12). More recently, however, the perception of the GOE sensu stricto has been questioned by emerging data derived from 3.0-2.5-billion-year-old sedimentary rocks, interpreted to represent both earlier accumulation(s) of atmospheric oxygen/ozone (13)(14)(15)(16) as well as transient descents toward a reduced methane-rich atmospheric state (8,9,17,18).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Specifically, geochemical records from multiple continents reveal a broad correlation between changes in the S-MIF record and highly 13 C-depleted organic carbon-termed C-S anomalies (8)-that have been interpreted to reflect the periodic formation of a hydrocarbon haze reminiscent of that observed on Saturn's moon Titan (8)(9)(10). Although these records have been used to paint an intriguing picture of Neoarchean atmospheric dynamics in the prelude to the GOE (8,9), a critical appraisal of the Neoarchean haze hypothesis awaits (22). We present high-resolution, coupled quadruple sulfur-and carbon-isotope, Fe-speciation, and total organic carbon (TOC) records ( Fig.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…sulfur mass-independent fractionation | organic haze | planetary oxidation | hydrogen loss | Neoarchean Q uadruple sulfur isotope fractionation is one of the most robust geochemical tools available to constrain the atmosphere's redox state, owing to intrinsic links between atmospheric photochemistry and oxygen (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11). Prior to ∼2.4 billion years ago (5,6), sedimentary S-phases display mass-independent S-isotope fractionation (S-MIF; Δ 33 S and Δ 36 S≠ 0),* which is conspicuously absent in the younger geological record (5)(6)(7)11).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Biological regulation of atmospheric chemistry en route to planetary oxygenation

Izon

Zerkle

Williford

et al. 2017

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

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Emerging evidence suggests that atmospheric oxygen may have varied before rising irreversibly ∼2.4 billion years ago, during the Great Oxidation Event (GOE). Significantly, however, pre-GOE atmospheric aberrations toward more reducing conditions-featuring a methane-derived organic-haze-have recently been suggested, yet their occurrence, causes, and significance remain underexplored. To examine the role of haze formation in Earth's history, we targeted an episode of inferred haze development. Our redox-controlled (Fespeciation) carbon-and sulfur-isotope record reveals sustained systematic stratigraphic covariance, precluding nonatmospheric explanations. Photochemical models corroborate this inference, showing Δ 36 S/Δ 33 S ratios are sensitive to the presence of haze. Exploiting existing age constraints, we estimate that organic haze developed rapidly, stabilizing within ∼0.3 ± 0.1 million years (Myr), and persisted for upward of ∼1.4 ± 0.4 Myr. Given these temporal constraints, and the elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentrations in the Archean, the sustained methane fluxes necessary for haze formation can only be reconciled with a biological source. Correlative δ 13 C Org and total organic carbon measurements support the interpretation that atmospheric haze was a transient response of the biosphere to increased nutrient availability, with methane fluxes controlled by the relative availability of organic carbon and sulfate. Elevated atmospheric methane concentrations during haze episodes would have expedited planetary hydrogen loss, with a single episode of haze development providing up to 2.6-18 × 10 18 moles of O 2 equivalents to the Earth system. Our findings suggest the Neoarchean likely represented a unique state of the Earth system where haze development played a pivotal role in planetary oxidation, hastening the contingent biological innovations that followed.sulfur mass-independent fractionation | organic haze | planetary oxidation | hydrogen loss | Neoarchean

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Biological regulation of atmospheric chemistry en route to planetary oxygenation

Izon

Zerkle

Williford

et al. 2017

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

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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%

The evolution of Earth's biogeochemical nitrogen cycle

Stüeken

Kipp

Koehler

et al. 2016

Earth-Science Reviews

328

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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Earth: Atmospheric Evolution of a Habitable Planet

Olson

Schwieterman

Reinhard

et al. 2018

Handbook of Exoplanets

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Our present-day atmosphere is often used as an analog for potentially habitable exoplanets, but Earth's atmosphere has changed dramatically throughout its 4.5-billion-year history. For example, molecular oxygen is abundant in the atmosphere today but was absent on the early Earth. Meanwhile, the physical and chemical evolution of Earth's atmosphere has also resulted in major swings in surface temperature, at times resulting in extreme glaciation or warm greenhouse climates. Despite this dynamic and occasionally dramatic history, the Earth has been persistently habitable-and, in fact, inhabited-for roughly 4 billion years. Understanding Earth's momentous changes and its enduring habitability is essential as a guide to the diversity of habitable planetary environments that may exist beyond our solar system and for ultimately recognizing spectroscopic fingerprints of life elsewhere in the Universe.Here, we review long-term trends in the composition of Earth's atmosphere as it relates to both planetary habitability and inhabitation. We focus on gases that may serve as habitability markers (CO2, N2) or biosignatures (CH4, O2), especially as related to the redox evolution of the atmosphere and the coupled evolution of Earth's climate system. We emphasize that in the search for Earth-like planets we must be mindful that the example provided by the modern atmosphere merely represents a single snapshot of Earth's long-term evolution. In exploring the many former states of our own planet, we emphasize Earth's atmospheric evolution during the Archean, Proterozoic, and Phanerozoic eons, but we conclude with a brief discussion of potential atmospheric trajectories into the distant future, many millions to billions of years from now. All of these 'Alternative Earth' scenarios provide insight to the potential diversity of Earth-like, habitable, and inhabited worlds.

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Multiple oscillations in Neoarchaean atmospheric chemistry

Cited by 73 publications

References 64 publications

Biological regulation of atmospheric chemistry en route to planetary oxygenation

Biological regulation of atmospheric chemistry en route to planetary oxygenation

The evolution of Earth's biogeochemical nitrogen cycle

Earth: Atmospheric Evolution of a Habitable Planet

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