The DOI matches its Crossref record; 56 of the 58 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Stability of ammonia in the primitive terrestrial atmosphere
Abstract
A one‐dimensional photochemical model is used to calculate the rate at which ammonia would have been destroyed in the earth's atmosphere for assumed NH3 mixing ratios of 10−8 to 10−4. The calculated NH3 destruction rates are then compared with possible abiotic and biotic sources for ammonia. Abiotic sources were probably sufficient to maintain the NH3 mixing ratio of 10−8 needed for life to have evolved but were too small to sustain the mixing ratios of 10−5 or more necessary to produce significant greenhouse warming. The atmospheric ammonia concentration may have increased during the Archean as a result of biological activities but probably remained below the level required to generate measurable thermal effects.
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“Ammonia (NH3) levels of 10 to 100 ppmv would provide a greenhouse effect to counteract the faint young Sun (FYS) (14), but these levels of NH3 cannot be sustained against UV photolysis (161).”
From The Archean atmosphere (2020) · cites this paper as [161]
In the citing paper
“Highly reduced gases such as CH 4 or NH 3 are also dissociated by photolysis due to the high XUV flux of the young Sun and by reactions with OH and O radicals produced from the photolysis of H 2 O and CO 2 molecules (Kuhn and Atreya 1979; Kasting 1982; Kasting 1993; Zahnle et al. 2010; Wordsworth 2016).”
From The young Sun's XUV-activity as a constraint for lower CO2-limits in the Earth's Archean atmosphere (2021) · cites this paper as Kasting 1982
Citations
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Metadata
- Authors
- Kasting, J. F.
- Affiliations
- Ames Research Center (US)
- Corresponding author
- Kasting, James F.
- ORCID
- Kasting, James F.
- Venue
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
- Publisher
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- Published
- 1982-04-20
- Volume
- 87
- Issue
- C4
- Pages
- 3091-3098
- ISSN
- 0148-0227 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2033191700
- Cited by
- 140
- References
- 58
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 10.25
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Origins and Evolution of Life
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
- Keywords
- ammonia, early Earth atmosphere, atmospheric chemistry, global warming, Archean atmosphere, early Earth, photochemical modeling, atmospheric mixing ratios
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