A theory of atmospheric oxygen
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Abstract Geological records of atmospheric oxygen suggest that pO2 was less than 0.001% of present atmospheric levels (PAL) during the Archean, increasing abruptly to a Proterozoic value between 0.1% and 10% PAL, and rising quickly to modern levels in the Phanerozoic. Using a simple model of the biogeochemical cycles of carbon, oxygen, sulfur, hydrogen, iron, and phosphorous, we demonstrate that there are three stable states for atmospheric oxygen, roughly corresponding to levels observed in the geological record. These stable states arise from a series of specific positive and negative feedbacks, requiring a large geochemical perturbation to the redox state to transition from one to another. In particular, we show that a very low oxygen level in the Archean (i.e., 10−7 PAL) is consistent with the presence of oxygenic photosynthesis and a robust organic carbon cycle. We show that the Snowball Earth glaciations, which immediately precede both transitions, provide an appropriate transient increase in atmospheric oxygen to drive the atmosphere either from its Archean state to its Proterozoic state, or from its Proterozoic state to its Phanerozoic state. This hypothesis provides a mechanistic explanation for the apparent synchronicity of the Proterozoic Snowball Earth events with both the Great Oxidation Event, and the Neoproterozoic oxidation.
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The mid-Proterozoic PO4 3- inventory was on the order of 5% of the present oceanic level.
“In parallel, large-ensemble biogeochemical modeling (Ozaki et al. 2019) suggests a mid-Proterozoic PO 4 3-inventory on the order of 5% of the present oceanic level (Figure 6), consistent with results from low-order Earth system models (e.g., Laakso & Schrag 2017).”
From The History of Ocean Oxygenation (2022) · cites this paper as Laakso & Schrag 2017
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- Authors
- Laakso, T. A., & Schrag, D. P.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Laakso, T. A.
- Venue
- Geobiology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2017-04-05
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 366-384
- ISSN
- 1472-4669 (ISSN-L)
- 1472-4677
- OpenAlex
- W2105639510
- Cited by
- 93
- References
- 87
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 9.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- nrs.harvard.edu
- Locations
- Geobiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Topics
- 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
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Keywords
- atmospheric oxygen, Great Oxidation Event, Snowball Earth, atmospheric oxygenation, oxygenic photosynthesis, organic carbon cycling, biogeochemical cycles, positive and negative feedback, Archean, Proterozoic, Phanerozoic
- MeSH terms
- Atmosphere, Oxygen, Geological Phenomena
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