The DOI matches its Crossref record; 190 of the 192 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Biogeochemical modelling of the rise in atmospheric oxygen
Abstract
Understanding the evolution of atmospheric molecular oxygen levels is a fundamental unsolved problem in Earth's history. We develop a quantitative biogeochemical model that simulates the Palaeoproterozoic transition of the Earth's atmosphere from a weakly reducing state to an O 2 ‐rich state. The purpose is to gain an insight into factors that plausibly control the timing and rapidity of the oxic transition. The model uses a simplified atmospheric chemistry (parameterized from complex photochemical models) and evolving redox fluxes in the Earth system. We consider time‐dependent fluxes that include organic carbon burial and associated oxygen production, reducing gases from metamorphic and volcanic sources, oxidative weathering, and the escape of hydrogen to space. We find that the oxic transition occurs in a geologically short time when the O 2 ‐consuming flux of reducing gases falls below the flux of organic carbon burial that produces O 2 . A short timescale for the oxic transition is enhanced by a positive feedback due to decreasing destruction of O 2 as stratospheric ozone forms, which is captured in our atmospheric chemistry parameterization. We show that one numerically self‐consistent solution for the rise of O 2 involves a decline in flux of reducing gases driven by irreversible secular oxidation of the crust caused by time‐integrated hydrogen escape to space in the preoxic atmosphere, and that this is compatible with constraints from the geological record. In this model, the timing of the oxic transition is strongly affected by buffers of reduced materials, particularly iron, in the continental crust. An alternative version of the model, where greater fluxes of reduced hydrothermal cations from the Archean seafloor consume O 2 , produces a similar history of O 2 and CH 4 . When climate and biosphere feedbacks are included in our model of the oxic transition, we find that multiple ‘Snowball Earth’ events are simulated under certain circumstances, as methane collapses and rises repeatedly before reaching a new steady‐state.
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In the citing paper
“Permanent atmospheric oxygenation requires ~3 × 10−3 PAL O2 or more to prevent a destabilizing positive feedback of photochemical destruction of tropospheric O2 that otherwise occurs when an incipient ozone column is still transparent to far UV (44, 121, 122).”
From The Archean atmosphere (2020) · cites this paper as [121]
In the citing paper
“Some emphasize the role of hydrogen escape to space in oxidizing solid Earth, lowering Earth’s capacity to release O2-consuming reductants (121, 135, 136).”
From The Archean atmosphere (2020) · cites this paper as [121]
In the citing paper
“These O2 levels would have only been attained when the O2 flux from the burial of organic carbon exceeded the kinetically efficient sink from O2-consuming gases (CO, H2, H2S, and SO2) from volcanism and metamorphism plus fluxes of reducing cations such as Fe2+ from seafloor vents (9, 120, 121, 123, 124).”
From The Archean atmosphere (2020) · cites this paper as [121]
In the citing paper
“Our model both reproduces the rapid rise of oxygen (53, 54) (consistent with the rapid disappearance of S-MIF in the cores we analyzed here) and predicts a time lag of ~10 My between the increase in pO2 and the subsequent rise in sulfate from ~10 μM to >1 mM (Fig. 4); this is comparable to the lag in isotope signals estimated above.”
From Rapid oxygenation of Earth’s atmosphere 2.33 billion years ago (2016) · cites this paper as [53]
In the citing paper
“FVR is the flux of reductants from volcanic gas (mostly H2) and decreases with time (53).”
From Rapid oxygenation of Earth’s atmosphere 2.33 billion years ago (2016) · cites this paper as [53]
In the citing paper
“Because we set the organic burial (FBORG) constant, the GOE occurs when FVR < FBORG (53, 54).”
From Rapid oxygenation of Earth’s atmosphere 2.33 billion years ago (2016) · cites this paper as [53]
In the citing paper
“Secular changes in tectonic (and solar) forcing will modify this picture40.”
From Atmospheric oxygen regulation at low Proterozoic levels by incomplete oxidative weathering of sedimentary organic carbon (2017) · cites this paper as [40]
In the citing paper
“Higher inputs of reductant relative to today—either due to higher mantle fluxes52, ongoing crustal oxidation during metamorphism hence more reduced metamorphic fluxes40 or greater submarine volcanism resulting in more reduced volatiles53—would affect the stability of an oxygen-sink-controlled feedback regime.”
From Atmospheric oxygen regulation at low Proterozoic levels by incomplete oxidative weathering of sedimentary organic carbon (2017) · cites this paper as [40]
Citations
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
The rise of oxygen in Earth's early ocean and atmosphere
Lyons, T. W., Reinhard, C. T., & Planavsky, N. J. (2014) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature13068 · Cited by 2,810
A Whiff of Oxygen Before the Great Oxidation Event?
Anbar, A. D., Duan, Y., Lyons, T. W., Arnold, G. L., Kendall, B., Creaser, R. A., Kaufman, A. J., Gordon, G. W., Scott, C., Garvin, J., et al. (2007) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1140325 · Cited by 1,024
Hazen, R. M., Papineau, D., Bleeker, W., Downs, R. T., Ferry, J. M., McCoy, T. J., Sverjensky, D. A., & Yang, H. (2008) · American Mineralogist · doi:10.2138/am.2008.2955 · Cited by 701
Catling, D. C., & Zahnle, K. J. (2020) · Science Advances · doi:10.1126/sciadv.aax1420 · Cited by 568
“Some emphasize the role of hydrogen escape to space in oxidizing solid Earth, lowering Earth’s capacity to release O2-consuming reductants (121, 135, 136).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialSelf-citationThe Iron Isotope Fingerprints of Redox and Biogeochemical Cycling in Modern and Ancient Earth
Johnson, C. M., Beard, B. L., & Roden, E. (2008) · Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences · doi:10.1146/annurev.earth.36.031207.124139 · Cited by 484
Metadata
- Authors
- CLAIRE, M. W., CATLING, D. C., & ZAHNLE, K. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Washington (US)
- Ames Research Center (US)
- Corresponding author
- CLAIRE, M. W.
- Venue
- Geobiology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2006-10-27
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 239-269
- ISSN
- 1472-4669 (ISSN-L)
- 1472-4677
- OpenAlex
- W2169379116
- Cited by
- 200
- References
- 192
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 17 · 2012: 8
- FWCI
- 6.99
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Geobiology (publishedVersion)
- Explore Bristol Research (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Earth Systems and Cosmic Evolution
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geochemistry and Petrology › Geological and Geochemical Analysis
- Keywords
- atmospheric oxygen rise, Great Oxidation, Paleoproterozoic, biogeochemical modeling, organic carbon burial, reducing gases, oxidative weathering, hydrogen escape, stratospheric ozone, positive feedback, methane, Snowball Earth
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