Exploring the faint young Sun problem and the possible climates of the Archean Earth with a 3‐D GCM
Open accessAbstract
Different solutions have been proposed to solve the “faint young Sun problem,” defined by the fact that the Earth was not fully frozen during the Archean despite the fainter Sun. Most previous studies were performed with simple 1‐D radiative convective models and did not account well for the clouds and ice‐albedo feedback or the atmospheric and oceanic transport of energy. We apply a global climate model (GCM) to test the different solutions to the faint young Sun problem. We explore the effect of greenhouse gases (CO 2 and CH 4 ), atmospheric pressure, cloud droplet size, land distribution, and Earth's rotation rate. We show that neglecting organic haze, 100 mbar of CO 2 with 2 mbar of CH 4 at 3.8 Ga and 10 mbar of CO 2 with 2 mbar of CH 4 at 2.5 Ga allow a temperate climate (mean surface temperature between 10°C and 20°C). Such amounts of greenhouse gases remain consistent with the geological data. Removing continents produces a warming lower than +4°C. The effect of rotation rate is even more limited. Larger droplets (radii of 17 μm versus 12 μm) and a doubling of the atmospheric pressure produce a similar warming of around +7°C. In our model, ice‐free water belts can be maintained up to 25°N/S with less than 1 mbar of CO 2 and no methane. An interesting cloud feedback appears above cold oceans, stopping the glaciation. Such a resistance against full glaciation tends to strongly mitigate the faint young Sun problem.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Three-dimensional climate models with a lower solar flux produce weaker evaporation and fewer low clouds, but a strong greenhouse effect is still required because the albedo decrease is small.
“Three-dimensional climate models with a lower solar flux produce weaker evaporation and fewer low clouds, but a strong greenhouse effect is still required because the albedo decrease is small (212, 213).”
From The Archean atmosphere (2020) · cites this paper as [212]
Section 4.4 (pp. 9–10) says the weaker Archean Sun reduced evaporation and cloud cover, lowering planetary albedo; the summary (p. 16) confirms the cloud feedback. But Section 4.4 calls the albedo decrease strong, from 0.36 to 0.30, not small. The paper models substantial greenhouse gases for a temperate climate, but does not say they are required because the albedo decrease is small. (LLM, conf=0.90)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredA faster Archean rotation rate reduces heat transport from equator to pole, particularly if the atmosphere had less mass.
“In general, a faster Archean rotation rate reduces heat transport from equator to pole (212, 213), particularly if the atmosphere had less mass (248).”
From The Archean atmosphere (2020) · cites this paper as [212]
Section 5.3 (p. 14) says faster rotation reduces meridional heat transport by limiting the size of baroclinic eddies. Section 5.2 (p. 13) says atmospheric pressure affects heat transport to the poles, but does not say that lower atmospheric mass particularly strengthens the rotation-related reduction. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Development of a turbulence closure model for geophysical fluid problems
Mellor, G. L., & Yamada, T. (1982) · Reviews of Geophysics · doi:10.1029/rg020i004p00851 · Cited by 7,065 · see citing works
Aerosols, Cloud Microphysics, and Fractional Cloudiness
Albrecht, B. A. (1989) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.245.4923.1227 · Cited by 4,422 · see citing works
The HITRAN 2008 molecular spectroscopic database
Rothman, L. S., Gordon, I. E., Barbe, A., Benner, D. C., Bernath, P. F., Birk, M., Boudon, V., Brown, L. R., Campargue, A., Champion, J. P., et al. (2009) · Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer · doi:10.1016/j.jqsrt.2009.02.013 · Cited by 3,339 · see citing works
Light scattering in planetary atmospheres
Hansen, J. E., & Travis, L. D. (1974) · Space Science Reviews · doi:10.1007/bf00168069 · Cited by 2,634 · see citing works
A negative feedback mechanism for the long‐term stabilization of Earth's surface temperature
Walker, J. C. G., Hays, P. B., & Kasting, J. F. (1981) · Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans · doi:10.1029/jc086ic10p09776 · Cited by 2,310 · see citing works
Evidence for life on Earth before 3,800 million years ago
Mojzsis, S. J., Arrhenius, G., McKeegan, K. D., Harrison, T. M., Nutman, A. P., & Friend, C. R. L. (1996) · Nature · doi:10.1038/384055a0 · Cited by 1,370 · see citing works
Improved general circulation models of the Martian atmosphere from the surface to above 80 km
Forget, F., Hourdin, F., Fournier, R., Hourdin, C., Talagrand, O., Collins, M. D., Lewis, S. R., Jr., Read, P. L., & Huot, J. P. (1999) · Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · doi:10.1029/1999je001025 · Cited by 1,330 · see citing works
Self-citationA Serpentinite-Hosted Ecosystem: The Lost City Hydrothermal Field
Kelley, D. S., Karson, J. A., Früh-Green, G. L., Yoerger, D. R., Shank, T. M., Butterfield, D. A., Hayes, J. M., Schrenk, M. O., Olson, E. J., Proskurowski, G., et al. (2005) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1102556 · Cited by 1,288 · see citing works
Earth and Mars: evolution of atmospheres and surface temperatures
Sagan, C., & Mullen, G. (1972) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.177.4043.52 · Cited by 942 · see citing works
The habitat and nature of early life
Nisbet, E. G., & Sleep, N. H. (2001) · Nature · doi:10.1038/35059210 · Cited by 930 · see citing works
A change in the geodynamics of continental growth 3 billion years ago
Dhuime, B., Hawkesworth, C. J., Cawood, P. A., & Storey, C. D. (2012) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1216066 · Cited by 923 · see citing works
Toon, O. B., Mckay, C., Ackerman, T., & Santhanam, K. (1989) · Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · doi:10.1029/jd094id13p16287 · Cited by 888 · see citing works
The growth of the continental crust: Constraints from zircon Hf-isotope data
Belousova, E. A., Kostitsyn, Y. A., Griffin, W. L., Begg, G., O'Reilly, S. Y., & Pearson, N. J. (2010) · Lithos · doi:10.1016/j.lithos.2010.07.024 · Cited by 874 · see citing works
Hourdin, F., Musat, I., Bony, S., Braconnot, P., Codron, F., Dufresne, J.-L., Fairhead, L., Filiberti, M.-A., Friedlingstein, P., Grandpeix, J.-Y., et al. (2006) · Climate Dynamics · doi:10.1007/s00382-006-0158-0 · Cited by 844 · see citing works
Self-citationSolar interior structure and luminosity variations
Gough, D. O. (1981) · Solar Physics · doi:10.1007/bf00151270 · Cited by 798 · see citing works
Line‐by‐line calculations of atmospheric fluxes and cooling rates: Application to water vapor
Clough, S. A., Iacono, M. J., & Moncet, J. (1992) · Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · doi:10.1029/92jd01419 · Cited by 731 · see citing works
Rosing, M. T. (1999) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.283.5402.674 · Cited by 699 · see citing works
Carbon dioxide cycling and implications for climate on ancient Earth
Sleep, N. H., & Zahnle, K. (2001) · Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets · doi:10.1029/2000je001247 · Cited by 592 · see citing works
Greenhouse warming by CH <sub>4</sub> in the atmosphere of early Earth
Pavlov, A. A., Kasting, J. F., Brown, L. L., Rages, K. A., & Freedman, R. (2000) · Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets · doi:10.1029/1999je001134 · Cited by 537 · see citing works
A palaeotemperature curve for the Precambrian oceans based on silicon isotopes in cherts
Robert, F., & Chaussidon, M. (2006) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature05239 · Cited by 510 · see citing works
Fossil evidence of Archaean life
Schopf, J. W. (2006) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2006.1834 · Cited by 499 · see citing works
Neoproterozoic ‘snowball Earth’ simulations with a coupled climate/ice-sheet model
Hyde, W. T., Crowley, T. J., Baum, S. K., & Peltier, W. R. (2000) · Nature · doi:10.1038/35013005 · Cited by 495 · see citing works
Aerosol Effect on Cloud Droplet Size Monitored from Satellite
Bréon, F., Tanré, D., & Generoso, S. (2002) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1066434 · Cited by 453 · see citing works
Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations before 2.2 billion years ago
Rye, R., Kuo, P. H., & Holland, H. D. (1995) · Nature · doi:10.1038/378603a0 · Cited by 431 · see citing works
Increased subaerial volcanism and the rise of atmospheric oxygen 2.5 billion years ago
Kump, L. R., & Barley, M. E. (2007) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature06058 · Cited by 403 · see citing works
Jaffrés, J. B. D., Shields, G. A., & Wallmann, K. (2007) · Earth-Science Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2007.04.002 · Cited by 398 · see citing works
Palaeotemperature trend for Precambrian life inferred from resurrected proteins
Gaucher, E. A., Govindarajan, S., & Ganesh, O. K. (2008) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature06510 · Cited by 397 · see citing works
A Hydrogen-Rich Early Earth Atmosphere
Tian, F., Toon, O. B., Pavlov, A. A., & De Sterck, H. (2005) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1106983 · Cited by 390 · see citing works
Low-latitude glaciation in the Palaeoproterozoic era
Evans, D. A. D., Beukes, N. J., & Kirschvink, J. L. (1997) · Nature · doi:10.1038/386262a0 · Cited by 387 · see citing works
A Revised, Hazy Methane Greenhouse for the Archean Earth
Haqq-Misra, J. D., Domagal-Goldman, S. D., Kasting, P. J., & Kasting, J. F. (2008) · Astrobiology · doi:10.1089/ast.2007.0197 · Cited by 357 · see citing works
Wordsworth, R., Forget, F., Millour, E., Head, J. W., III, Madeleine, J., & Charnay, B. (2012) · Icarus · doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2012.09.036 · Cited by 352 · see citing works
Self-citationGeological constraints on the Precambrian history of Earth's rotation and the Moon's orbit
Williams, G. E. (2000) · Reviews of Geophysics · doi:10.1029/1999rg900016 · Cited by 349 · see citing works
Feulner, G. (2012) · Reviews of Geophysics · doi:10.1029/2011rg000375 · Cited by 338 · see citing works
Atmospheric oxygenation caused by a change in volcanic degassing pressure
Gaillard, F., Scaillet, B., & Arndt, N. (2011) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature10460 · Cited by 336 · see citing works
Trent, H. L., & Li, L. (1991) · Climate Dynamics · doi:10.1007/bf00251808 · Cited by 319 · see citing works
Enhanced CO2 greenhouse to compensate for reduced solar luminosity on early Earth
Owen, T., CESS, R. D., & Ramanathan, V. (1979) · Nature · doi:10.1038/277640a0 · Cited by 305 · see citing works
Precambrian paleosols and atmospheric CO2 levels
Sheldon, N. D. (2006) · Precambrian Research · doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2006.02.004 · Cited by 296 · see citing works
Nitrogen-enhanced greenhouse warming on early Earth
Goldblatt, C., Claire, M. W., Lenton, T. M., Matthews, A. J., Watson, A. J., & Zahnle, K. J. (2009) · Nature Geoscience · doi:10.1038/ngeo692 · Cited by 291 · see citing works
Organic haze on Titan and the early Earth
Trainer, M. G., Pavlov, A. A., DeWitt, H. L., Jimenez, J. L., McKay, C. P., Toon, O. B., & Tolbert, M. A. (2006) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0608561103 · Cited by 280 · see citing works
Zahnle, K. J. (1986) · Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres · doi:10.1029/jd091id02p02819 · Cited by 276 · see citing works
Carbon dioxide on the early earth
Walker, J. C. G. (1985) · Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres · doi:10.1007/bf01809466 · Cited by 272 · see citing works
Superrotation of Venus' atmosphere analyzed with a full general circulation model
Lebonnois, S., Hourdin, F., Eymet, V., et al. (2010) · Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · doi:10.1029/2009je003458 · Cited by 267 · see citing works
Frierson, D. M. W. (2007) · Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences · doi:10.1175/jas3935.1 · Cited by 260 · see citing works
No climate paradox under the faint early Sun
Rosing, M. T., Bird, D. K., Sleep, N. H., & Bjerrum, C. J. (2010) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature08955 · Cited by 258 · see citing works
Paleoclimates, ocean depth, and the oxygen isotopic composition of seawater
Kasting, J. F., Howard, M. T., Wallmann, K., Veizer, J., Shields, G., & Jaffrés, J. (2006) · Earth and Planetary Science Letters · doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2006.09.029 · Cited by 248 · see citing works
van den Boorn, S. H. J. M., van Bergen, M. J., Nijman, W., & Vroon, P. Z. (2007) · Geology · doi:10.1130/g24096a.1 · Cited by 246 · see citing works
Parallel adaptations to high temperatures in the Archaean eon
Boussau, B., Blanquart, S., Necsulea, A., Lartillot, N., & Gouy, M. (2008) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature07393 · Cited by 242 · see citing works
Andreae, M. O. (2007) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1136529 · Cited by 239 · see citing works
A bistable organic-rich atmosphere on the Neoarchaean Earth
Zerkle, A. L., Claire, M. W., Domagal-Goldman, S. D., Farquhar, J., & Poulton, S. W. (2012) · Nature Geoscience · doi:10.1038/ngeo1425 · Cited by 239 · see citing works
A case for late-Archaean continental emergence from thermal evolution models and hypsometry
Flament, N., Coltice, N., & Rey, P. F. (2008) · Earth and Planetary Science Letters · doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2008.08.029 · Cited by 233 · see citing works
Effects of high CO2 levels on surface temperature and atmospheric oxidation state of the early Earth
Kasting, J. F., Pollack, J. B., & Crisp, D. (1984) · Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry · doi:10.1007/bf00053803 · Cited by 232 · see citing works
GLIESE 581D IS THE FIRST DISCOVERED TERRESTRIAL-MASS EXOPLANET IN THE HABITABLE ZONE
Wordsworth, R., Forget, F., Selsis, F., Millour, E., Charnay, B., & Madeleine, J. (2011) · The Astrophysical Journal Letters · doi:10.1088/2041-8205/733/2/l48 · Cited by 232 · see citing works
Self-citationPhosphate oxygen isotopic evidence for a temperate and biologically active Archaean ocean
Blake, R. E., Chang, S. J., & Lepland, A. (2010) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature08952 · Cited by 230 · see citing works
Hydrogen-Nitrogen Greenhouse Warming in Earth's Early Atmosphere
Wordsworth, R., & Pierrehumbert, R. (2013) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1225759 · Cited by 207 · see citing works
Self-citationSom, S. M., Catling, D. C., Harnmeijer, J. P., Polivka, P. M., & Buick, R. (2012) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature10890 · Cited by 207 · see citing works
Model intercomparison of indirect aerosol effects
Penner, J. E., Quaas, J., Storelvmo, T., Takemura, T., Boucher, O., Guo, H., Kirkevåg, A., Kristjánsson, J. E., & Seland, Ø. (2006) · Atmospheric chemistry and physics · doi:10.5194/acp-6-3391-2006 · Cited by 205 · see citing works
Organic haze, glaciations and multiple sulfur isotopes in the Mid-Archean Era
Domagal-Goldman, S. D., Kasting, J. F., Johnston, D. T., & Farquhar, J. (2008) · Earth and Planetary Science Letters · doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2008.01.040 · Cited by 204 · see citing works
Young, G. M., Brunn, V. V., Gold, D. J. C., & Minter, W. E. L. (1998) · The Journal of Geology · doi:10.1086/516039 · Cited by 189 · see citing works
Oxygen and hydrogen isotope evidence for a temperate climate 3.42 billion years ago
Hren, M. T., Tice, M. M., & Chamberlain, C. P. (2009) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature08518 · Cited by 186 · see citing works
Titan global climate model: A new 3-dimensional version of the IPSL Titan GCM
Lebonnois, S., Burgalat, J., Rannou, P., & Charnay, B. (2011) · Icarus · doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2011.11.032 · Cited by 185 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Jormungand global climate state and implications for Neoproterozoic glaciations
Abbot, D. S., Aiko Voigt, A., & Koll, D. D. B. (2011) · Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · doi:10.1029/2011jd015927 · Cited by 181 · see citing works
Atmospheric composition and climate on the early Earth
Kasting, J. F., & Howard, M. T. (2006) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2006.1902 · Cited by 176 · see citing works
Fractal Organic Hazes Provided an Ultraviolet Shield for Early Earth
Wolf, E. T., & Toon, O. B. (2010) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1183260 · Cited by 172 · see citing works
Isotope composition and volume of Earth’s early oceans
Pope, E. C., Bird, D. K., & Rosing, M. T. (2012) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1115705109 · Cited by 160 · see citing works
Amplification of Cretaceous Warmth by Biological Cloud Feedbacks
Kump, L. R., & Pollard, D. (2008) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1153883 · Cited by 155 · see citing works
Driese, S. G., Jirsa, M. A., Ren, M., Brantley, S. L., Sheldon, N. D., Parker, D., & Schmitz, M. (2011) · Precambrian Research · doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2011.04.003 · Cited by 155 · see citing works
Infrared collision-induced and far-line absorption in dense CO2 atmospheres
Wordsworth, R., Forget, F., & Eymet, V. (2010) · Icarus · doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2010.06.010 · Cited by 154 · see citing works
Self-citationA lower limit for atmospheric carbon dioxide levels 3.2 billion years ago
Hessler, A. M., Lowe, D. R., Jones, R. L., & Bird, D. K. (2004) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature02471 · Cited by 148 · see citing works
Palaeoclimates: The first two billion years
Kasting, J. F., & Ono, S. (2006) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2006.1839 · Cited by 144 · see citing works
Revisiting HCN formation in Earth's early atmosphere
Tian, F., Kasting, J. F., & Zahnle, K. (2011) · Earth and Planetary Science Letters · doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2011.06.011 · Cited by 143 · see citing works
Kiehl, J. T., & Dickinson, R. E. (1987) · Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · doi:10.1029/jd092id03p02991 · Cited by 143 · see citing works
Lunar nodal tide and distance to the Moon during the Precambrian
Walker, J. C. G., & Zahnle, K. J. (1986) · Nature · doi:10.1038/320600a0 · Cited by 126 · see citing works
Comparison of Measurements of Cloud Droplets and Cloud Nuclei
Twomey, S. A., & Warner, J. (1967) · Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences · doi:10.1175/1520-0469(1967)024 · Cited by 125 · see citing works
Warming the early earth—CO2 reconsidered
von Paris, P., Rauer, H., Grenfell, J. L., Patzer, B., Hedelt, P., Stracke, B., Trautmann, T., & Schreier, F. (2008) · Planetary and Space Science · doi:10.1016/j.pss.2008.04.008 · Cited by 101 · see citing works
The terminal velocity of snowflakes
Langleben, M. P. (1954) · Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society · doi:10.1002/qj.49708034404 · Cited by 101 · see citing works
Boucher, O., Treut, H. L., & Baker, M. B. (1995) · Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · doi:10.1029/95jd01382 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
Faint young Sun paradox remains
Goldblatt, C., & Zahnle, K. J. (2011) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature09961 · Cited by 75 · see citing works
A constant daylength during the precambrian era?
Zahnle, K., & Walker, J. C. G. (1987) · Precambrian Research · doi:10.1016/0301-9268(87)90073-8 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Mean Climate and Variability of the Atmosphere and Ocean on an Aquaplanet
Marshall, J. C., Ferreira, D., Campin, J., & Enderton, D. (2007) · Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences · doi:10.1175/2007jas2226.1 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Two boundary layers in Titan’s lower troposphere inferred from a climate model
Charnay, B., & Lebonnois, S. (2012) · Nature Geoscience · doi:10.1038/ngeo1374 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
Self-citationPrecambrian climate: The effects of land area and Earth's rotation rate
Jenkins, G. S., Marshall, H. G., & Kuhn, W. R. (1993) · Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · doi:10.1029/93jd00033 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
Kuhn, W. R., Walker, J. C. G., & Marshall, H. G. (1989) · Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · doi:10.1029/jd094id08p11129 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Kao, S.-K., & Wendell, L. L. (1970) · Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences · doi:10.1175/1520-0469(1970)027 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Neoproterozoic “snowball Earth”: Dynamic sea ice over a quiescent ocean
Lewis, J. P., Weaver, A. J., Johnston, S. T., & Eby, M. (2003) · Paleoceanography · doi:10.1029/2003pa000926 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
The effects of past variations of the Earth's rotation rate on climate
HUNT, B. G. (1979) · Nature · doi:10.1038/281188a0 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
Mineralogical constraints on Precambrian "Equation missing"
Reinhard, C. T., & Planavsky, N. J. (2011) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature09959 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Kienert, H., Feulner, G., & Petoukhov, V. (2012) · Geophysical Research Letters · doi:10.1029/2012gl054381 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Ekman heat transport for slab oceans
Codron, F. (2011) · Climate Dynamics · doi:10.1007/s00382-011-1031-3 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Self-citationCan thin cirrus clouds in the tropics provide a solution to the faint young Sun paradox?
Rondanelli, R., & Lindzen, R. S. (2010) · Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres · doi:10.1029/2009jd012050 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Jenkins, G. S. (1993) · Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · doi:10.1029/93jd02056 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Jenkins, G. S. (1999) · Global and Planetary Change · doi:10.1016/s0921-8181(98)00070-8 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Early Earth's climate: Cloud feedback from reduced land fraction and ozone concentrations
Jenkins, G. S. (1995) · Geophysical Research Letters · doi:10.1029/95gl00818 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 21
- Battistuzzi, F. U., A. Feijao, and S. B. Hedges, A genomic timescale of prokaryote evolution: insights into the origin of methanogenesis, phototrophy, and the colonization of land., BMC evolutionary biology , 4 (1), 44+, doi:10.1186/1471-21484-44, 2004. · DOI
- Francois, L. M., and J.-C. Gerard, Ozone, climate and biospheric environment in the ancient oxygen-poor atmosphere, Planetary and Space Science , 36 , 1391-1414, doi:10.1016/00320633(88)90007-4, 1988. · DOI
- Goldblatt, C., and K. J. Zahnle, Clouds and the Faint Young Sun Paradox, Climate of the Past , 7 , 203-220, doi:10.5194/cp-7203-2011, 2011b. · DOI
- Gregory, D., A Consistent Treatment of the Evaporation of Rain and Snow for Use in Large-Scale Models, Monthly Weather Review , 123 , 2716, doi:10.1175/15200493(1995)123¡2716:ACTOTE¿2.0.CO;2, 1995. · DOI
- House, C. H., B. Runnegar, and S. T. Fitz-Gibbon, Geobiological analysis using whole genome-based tree building applied to the bacteria, archaea, and eukarya, Geobiology , 1 (1), 15-26, doi:10.1046/j.1472-4669.2003.00004.x, 2003. · DOI
- Kasting, J. F., and T. P. Ackerman, Climatic consequences of very high carbon dioxide levels in the earth's early atmosphere, Science , 234 , 1383-1385, doi:10.1126/science.234.4782.1383, 1986. · DOI
- Kharecha, P., J. Kasting, and J. Siefert, A coupled atmosphereecosystem model of the early archean earth, Geobiology , 3 (2), 53-76, doi:10.1111/j.1472-4669.2005.00049.x, 2005. · DOI · Paper page
- Kiehl, J. T., and B. A. Boville, The radiative-dynamical response of a stratospheric-tropospheric general circulation model to changes in ozone, Journal of Atmospheric Sciences , 45 , 1798-1817, doi:10.1175/15200469(1988)045¡1798:TRDROA¿2.0.CO;2, 1988. · DOI
- Knauth, L. P., and D. R. Lowe, High Archean climatic temperature inferred from oxygen isotope geochemistry of cherts in the 3.5 Ga Swaziland Supergroup, South Africa, Geological Society of America Bulletin , 115 , 566-580, doi:10.1130/00167606(2003)115¡0566:HACTIF¿2.0.CO;2, 2003. · DOI
- Kuhn, W. R., and S. K. Atreya, Ammonia photolysis and the greenhouse effect in the primordial atmosphere of the earth, Icarus , 37 , 207-213, doi:10.1016/0019-1035(79)90126-X, 1979. · DOI · Paper page
- Leconte, J., F. Forget, B. Charnay, R. Wordsworth, F. Selsis, and E. Millour, 3D climate modeling of close-in land planets: Circulation patterns, climate moist bistability and habitability, ArXiv e-prints , 2013.
- Lin, B., B. A. Wielicki, L. H. Chambers, Y. Hu, and K.M. Xu, The Iris Hypothesis: A Negative or Positive Cloud Feedback?., Journal of Climate , 15 , 3-7, doi:10.1175/15200442(2002)015¡0003:TIHANO¿2.0.CO;2, 2002. · DOI
- Lindzen, R. S., M.-D. Chou, and A. Y. Hou, Does the Earth Have an Adaptive Infrared Iris?., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society , 82 , 417-432, doi:10.1175/15200477(2001)082¡0417:DTEHAA¿2.3.CO;2, 2001. · DOI
- Manabe, S., and R. T. Wetherald, Thermal Equilibrium of the Atmosphere with a Given Distribution of Relative Humidity., Journal of Atmospheric Sciences , 24 , 241-259, 1967.
- Marty, B., and N. Dauphas, The nitrogen record of crustmantle interaction and mantle convection from Archean to Present, Earth and Planetary Science Letters , 206 , 397-410, doi:10.1016/S0012-821X(02)01108-1, 2003. · DOI · Paper page
- McKay, C. P., J. B. Pollack, and R. Courtin, The greenhouse and antigreenhouse effects on Titan, Science , 253 , 1118-1121, doi:10.1126/science.253.5024.1118, 1991. · DOI
- Perrin, M. Y., and J. M. Hartmann, Temperature-dependent measurements and modeling of absorption by CO2-N2 mixtures in the far line-wings of the 4.3-micron CO2 band, Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer , 42 , 311317, doi:10.1016/0022-4073(89)90077-0, 1989. · DOI
- Sanchez-Lavega, A., An introduction to planetary atmosphere, Book, CRC Press , 2011.
- Sekhon, R. S., and R. C. Srivastava, Snow Size Spectra and Radar Reflectivity, Journal of Atmospheric Sciences , 27 , 299-307, 1970.
- Stone, P. H., A simplified radiative-dynamical model for the static stability of rotating atmospheres., Journal of Atmospheric Sciences , 29 , 405-418, doi:10.1175/15200469(1972)029¡0405:ASRDMF¿2.0.CO;2, 1972. · DOI
- Twomey, S., The Influence of Pollution on the Shortwave Albedo of Clouds., Journal of Atmospheric Sciences , 34 , 1149-1154, doi:10.1175/1520-0469(1977)034¡1149:TIOPOT¿2.0.CO;2, 1977. · DOI
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Catling, D. C., & Zahnle, K. J. (2020) · Science Advances · doi:10.1126/sciadv.aax1420 · Cited by 568 · see citing works
The Pale Orange Dot: The Spectrum and Habitability of Hazy Archean Earth
Arney, G., Domagal-Goldman, S. D., Meadows, V. S., Wolf, E. T., Schwieterman, E., Charnay, B., Claire, M., Hébrard, E., & Trainer, M. G. (2016) · Astrobiology · doi:10.1089/ast.2015.1422 · Cited by 327 · see citing works
“However, as we have argued, a mean surface temperature of the freezing point of water is not a useful threshold for global habitability (Charnay et al. , 2013; Shields et al. , 2013; Wolf and Toon, 2013; Kunze et al. , 2014), so some of the Haqq-Misra et al. spherical haze results may actually be…”
InfluentialSelf-citationGlobal water cycle and the coevolution of the Earth’s interior and surface environment
Korenaga, J., Planavsky, N. J., & Evans, D. A. D. (2017) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences · doi:10.1098/rsta.2015.0393 · Cited by 206 · see citing works
A warm or a cold early Earth? New insights from a 3-D climate-carbon model
Charnay, B., Le Hir, G., Fluteau, F., Forget, F., & Catling, D. C. (2017) · Earth and Planetary Science Letters · doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2017.06.029 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
Self-citationGlobal climate modeling of Saturn’s atmosphere. Part I: Evaluation of the radiative transfer model
Guerlet, S., Spiga, A., Sylvestre, M., Indurain, M., Fouchet, T., Leconte, J., Millour, E., Wordsworth, R., Capderou, M., Bézard, B., et al. (2014) · Icarus · doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2014.05.010 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
Self-citationConstraints on ocean carbonate chemistry and pCO2 in the Archaean and Palaeoproterozoic
Blättler, C. L., Kump, L. R., Fischer, W. W., Paris, G., Kasbohm, J. J., & Higgins, J. A. (2017) · Nature Geoscience · doi:10.1038/ngeo2844 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
The young Sun's XUV-activity as a constraint for lower CO2-limits in the Earth's Archean atmosphere
Johnstone, C. P., Lammer, H., Kislyakova, K. G., Scherf, M., & Güdel, M. (2021) · Earth and Planetary Science Letters · doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2021.117197 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Late Proterozoic Transitions in Climate, Oxygen, and Tectonics, and the Rise of Complex Life
Planavsky, N. J., Tarhan, L. G., Bellefroid, E. J., Evans, D. A. D., Reinhard, C. T., Love, G. D., & Lyons, T. W. (2015) · The Paleontological Society Papers · doi:10.1017/s1089332600002965 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
The thermodynamic effect of atmospheric mass on early Earth's temperature
Chemke, R., Kaspi, Y., & Halevy, I. (2016) · Geophysical Research Letters · doi:10.1002/2016gl071279 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Vilović, I., Goyal, J., Heller, R., & von Schauenburg, F. M. (2025) · Astronomische Nachrichten · doi:10.1002/asna.20240081
- Authors
- Charnay, B., Forget, F., Wordsworth, R., Leconte, J., Millour, E., Codron, F., & Spiga, A.
- Affiliations
- Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (FR)
- University of Chicago (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
- Publisher
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- Published
- 2013-09-19
- Volume
- 118
- Issue
- 18
- Pages
- 10414-10431
- ISSN
- 0148-0227 (ISSN-L)
- 2169-897X
- 2169-8996
- OpenAlex
- W2594696318
- Cited by
- 144
- References
- 92
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 6.09
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- arxiv.org
- Locations
- Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres (publishedVersion)
- arXiv (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
- Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- HAL (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- arXiv (Cornell University)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Climate variability and models
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Keywords
- greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide, methane, organic haze, cloud feedback, ice-albedo feedback, cloud droplet size, atmospheric pressure, Earth rotation rate, continental configuration, early Earth climate
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
