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Cited by 431Paleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsGeology and Paleoclimatology ResearchGeological and Geochemical Analysis

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 24 of the 25 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations before 2.2 billion years ago

Rye, Rob, Kuo, Phillip H., Holland, Heinrich D.·1995·Nature
DOI 10.1038/378603a0
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Abstract

The composition of the Earth's early atmosphere is a subject of continuing debate. In particular, it has been suggested that elevated concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide would have been necessary to maintain normal surface temperatures in the face of lower solar luminosity in early Earth history. Fossil weathering profiles, known as palaeosols, have provided semi-quantitative constraints on atmospheric oxygen partial pressure (pO2) before 2.2 Gyr ago. Here we use the same well studied palaeosols to constrain atmospheric pCO2 between 2.75 and 2.2 Gyr ago. The observation that iron lost from the tops of these profiles was reprecipitated lower down as iron silicate minerals, rather than as iron carbonate, indicates that atmospheric pCO2 must have been less than 10(-1.4) atm--about 100 times today's level of 360 p.p.m., and at least five times lower than that required in one-dimensional climate models to compensate for lower solar luminosity at 2.75 Gyr. Our results suggest that either the Earth's early climate was much more sensitive to increases in pCO2 than has been thought, or that one or more greenhouse gases other than CO2 contributed significantly to the atmosphere's radiative balance during the late Archaean and early Proterozoic eons.

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Research works printed but not linked: 10

  1. Hayes, J. M. in Early Life on Earth (ed. Bengtson. S.) 220–236 (Nobel Symposium 84, Columbia University Press, New York, 1994).
  2. Button, A. & Tyler, N. Econ. Geol. 75, 686–709 (1981).
  3. Postma, D. J. sedim. Petrol. 47, 1089–1098 (1977).
  4. Wunsch, D. R. Kentucky Geological Survey Thesis Series 5, XI (1993).
  5. Poth, C. W. Bulletin W16, 4th series (Pennsylvania Geological Survey, 1963).
  6. Poth, C. W. Bulletin Water Resources report 36, 4th series (Pennsylvania Geological Survey, 1973).
  7. Pinto, J. P. & Holland, H. D. Geol. Soc. Am. spec. Pap. 216, 21–34 (1988).
  8. Sagan, C. & Chyba, C. Abstr. 1st Int. Conf. on Circumstellar Habitable Zones, 2 (NASA, Ames Research Center, 1994).
  9. Holland, H. D. & Beukes, N. J. Am. J. Sci. 290A, 1–34 (1990).
  10. Prasad, N. & Roscoe, S. M. Geol. Surv. Can. Pap. 91-IC, 43–54 (1991).

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Metadata

Authors
Rye, R., Kuo, P. H., & Holland, H. D.
Affiliations
Harvard University (US)
Venue
Nature
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
1995-12
Volume
378
Issue
6557
Pages
603-605
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
DOI
10.1038/378603a0
OpenAlex
W2070887411
Cited by
431
References
25
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 33 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 22 · 2012: 13
FWCI
13.01
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geochemistry and Petrology › Geological and Geochemical Analysis
Keywords
atmospheric CO2, early Earth atmosphere, paleosols, iron silicate minerals, iron carbonate, greenhouse effect, Late Archean, Early Proterozoic, paleoclimate
MeSH terms
Atmosphere, Carbon Dioxide, Climate, Ferrous Compounds, Fossils, Paleontology, Temperature, Water, Silicates, Greenhouse Effect, Earth, Planet, Geologic Sediments, Evolution, Planetary

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