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Cited by 148Paleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsGeology and Paleoclimatology ResearchGeological and Geochemical Analysis

A lower limit for atmospheric carbon dioxide levels 3.2 billion years ago

Hessler, Angela M., Lowe, Donald R., Jones, Robert L., Bird, Dennis K.·2004·Nature
DOI 10.1038/nature02471
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Abstract

The quantification of greenhouse gases present in the Archaean atmosphere is critical for understanding the evolution of atmospheric oxygen, surface temperatures and the conditions for life on early Earth. For instance, it has been argued that small changes in the balance between two potential greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide and methane, may have dictated the feedback cycle involving organic haze production and global cooling. Climate models have focused on carbon dioxide as the greenhouse gas responsible for maintaining above-freezing surface temperatures during a time of low solar luminosity. However, the analysis of 2.75-billion-year (Gyr)-old palaeosols--soil samples preserved in the geologic record--have recently provided an upper constraint on atmospheric carbon dioxide levels well below that required in most climate models to prevent the Earth's surface from freezing. This finding prompted many to look towards methane as an additional greenhouse gas to satisfy climate models. Here we use model equilibrium reactions for weathering rinds on 3.2-Gyr-old river gravels to show that the presence of iron-rich carbonate relative to common clay minerals requires a minimum partial pressure of carbon dioxide several times higher than present-day values. Unless actual carbon dioxide levels were considerably greater than this, climate models predict that additional greenhouse gases would still need to have a role in maintaining above-freezing surface temperatures.

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Crossref · 10.1038/nature02471

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  • Geochemical measurements from the late Archean suggest that pCO2 was likely significantly higher than in the modern atmosphere, though significant uncertainty exists and no measurements for the early Archean or Hadean are available.

    “Geochemical measurements extend back to the late Archean and suggest that the CO 2 partial pressure (pCO 2 ) was likely significantly higher than in the modern atmosphere (Rye et al. 1995; Hessler et al. 2004; Sheldon 2006; Driese et al. 2011; Kanzaki and Murakami 2015) though significant uncertainty exists and no measurements for the early Archean or the Hadean are available”

    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 Hessler et al. 2004

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Authors
Hessler, A. M., Lowe, D. R., Jones, R. L., & Bird, D. K.
Affiliations
  • Grand Valley State University (US)
  • Stanford University (US)
Corresponding author
Hessler, Angela M.
ORCID
Venue
Nature
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2004-04
Volume
428
Issue
6984
Pages
736-738
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
DOI
10.1038/nature02471
OpenAlex
W1981435137
Cited by
148
References
57
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 10
FWCI
8.72
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
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 › Geophysics › Geological and Geochemical Analysis
Keywords
atmospheric CO2, greenhouse gases, early Earth climate, weathering rinds, river gravel, paleosols, methane, atmospheric oxygen evolution, surface temperature, organic haze, global cooling

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