Sulfur, ultraviolet radiation, and the early evolution of life

Kasting, J. F.; Zahnle, K. J.; Pinto, J. P.; Young, A. T.

doi:10.1007/bf01808144

Cited by 164Origins and Evolution of LifePaleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsEarth Systems and Cosmic Evolution

Sulfur, ultraviolet radiation, and the early evolution of life

Kasting, J. F., Zahnle, K. J., Pinto, J. P., Young, A. T.·1989·Origins of life and evolution of the biosphere

DOI 10.1007/bf01808144

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Abstract

The present biosphere is shielded from harmful solar near ultraviolet (UV) radiation by atmospheric ozone. We suggest here that elemental sulfur vapor could have played a similar role in an anoxic, ozone-free, primitive atmosphere. Sulfur vapor would have been produced photochemically from volcanogenic SO2 and H2S. It is composed of ring molecules, primarily S8, that absorb strongly throughout the near UV, yet are expected to be relatively stable against photolysis and chemical attack. It is also insoluble in water and would thus have been immune to rainout or surface deposition over the oceans. The concentration of S8 in the primitive atmosphere would have been limited by its saturation vapor pressure, which is a strong function of temperature. Hence, it would have depended on the magnitude of the atmospheric greenhouse effect. Surface temperatures of 45 degrees C or higher, corresponding to carbon dioxide partial pressures exceeding 2 bars, are required to sustain an effective UV screen. Two additional requirements are that the ocean was saturated with sulfite and bisulfite, and that linear S8 chains must tend to reform rings faster than they are destroyed by photolysis. A warm, sulfur-rich, primitive atmosphere is consistent with inferences drawn from molecular phylogeny, which suggest that some of the earliest organisms were thermophilic bacteria that metabolized elemental sulfur.

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Surface temperatures greater than ~50°C would be required to produce enough atmospheric S8 vapor to shield surface life from UV.
“Surface temperatures greater than ~50°C would be required to produce enough atmospheric S8 vapor to shield surface life from UV (204).”
From The Archean atmosphere (2020) · cites this paper as [204]

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Authors: Kasting, J. F., Zahnle, K. J., Pinto, J. P., & Young, A. T.
Affiliations: Ames Research Center (US)
San Diego State University (US)
ORCID: Pinto, J. P.
Young, A. T.
Venue: Origins of life and evolution of the biosphere
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published: 1989-03
Volume: 19
Issue: 2
Pages: 95-108
ISSN: 0169-6149 (ISSN-L)
1573-0875
DOI: 10.1007/bf01808144
OpenAlex: W1967250155
Cited by: 164
References: 49
Citations by year: 2026: 5 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 1 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 6
FWCI: 1.81
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: www.springernature.com/gp/researchers/text-and-data-mining (tdm)
www.springernature.com/gp/researchers/text-and-data-mining (vor)
Locations: Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Topics: Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Origins and Evolution of Life
Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Earth Systems and Cosmic Evolution
Keywords: early Earth atmosphere, anoxic atmosphere, saturated vapor pressure, greenhouse effect, surface temperature, thermophilic bacteria, sulfur metabolism, origin of life, molecular phylogeny
MeSH terms: Atmosphere, Models, Chemical, Photochemistry, Radiation-Protective Agents, Sulfur, Ultraviolet Rays

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Sulfur, ultraviolet radiation, and the early evolution of life

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