Comment on "A Hydrogen-Rich Early Earth Atmosphere"
Abstract
Tian et al. (Reports, 13 May 2005, p. 1014) proposed a hydrogen-rich early atmosphere with slow hydrogen escape from a cold thermosphere. However, their model neglects the ultraviolet absorption of all gases other than H2. The model also neglects Earth's magnetic field, which affects the temperature and density of ions and promotes nonthermal escape of neutral hydrogen.
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The early atmosphere's composition was at least mildly reducing, although how reducing it was is debated.
“This composition was at least mildly reducing, although how reducing it was is debated (Tian et al., 2005; Catling, 2006).”
From The Astrobiology Primer v2.0 (2016) · cites this paper as Catling, 2006
Cites
Carbon dioxide cycling and implications for climate on ancient Earth
Sleep, N. H., & Zahnle, K. (2001) · Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets · doi:10.1029/2000je001247 · Cited by 592 · see citing works
A Hydrogen-Rich Early Earth Atmosphere
Tian, F., Toon, O. B., Pavlov, A. A., & De Sterck, H. (2005) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1106983 · Cited by 390 · see citing works
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Feulner, G. (2012) · Reviews of Geophysics · doi:10.1029/2011rg000375 · Cited by 338 · see citing works
ZAHNLE, K., CLAIRE, M., & CATLING, D. (2006) · Geobiology · doi:10.1111/j.1472-4669.2006.00085.x · Cited by 315 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Drive to Life on Wet and Icy Worlds
Russell, M. J., Barge, L. M., Bhartia, R., Bocanegra, D., Bracher, P. J., Branscomb, E., Kidd, R., McGlynn, S., Meier, D. H., Nitschke, W., et al. (2014) · Astrobiology · doi:10.1089/ast.2013.1110 · Cited by 288 · see citing works
“Notwithstanding the suggestion that the early atmosphere was hydrogen-rich (Wordsworth and Pierrehumbert, 2013), H2 is likely to have gravitated rapidly to space, so beginning the oxidation of the planet’s surface (Catling, 2006).”
Geological constraints on the origin of oxygenic photosynthesis
Farquhar, J., Zerkle, A. L., & Bekker, A. (2011) · Photosynthesis Research · doi:10.1007/s11120-010-9594-0 · Cited by 223 · see citing works
Hydrogen-Nitrogen Greenhouse Warming in Earth's Early Atmosphere
Wordsworth, R., & Pierrehumbert, R. (2013) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1225759 · Cited by 207 · see citing works
Biogeochemical modelling of the rise in atmospheric oxygen
CLAIRE, M. W., CATLING, D. C., & ZAHNLE, K. J. (2006) · Geobiology · doi:10.1111/j.1472-4669.2006.00084.x · Cited by 200 · see citing works
Self-citationIsotope composition and volume of Earth’s early oceans
Pope, E. C., Bird, D. K., & Rosing, M. T. (2012) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1115705109 · Cited by 160 · see citing works
Domagal-Goldman, S. D., Wright, K. E., Domagal-Goldman, S. D., Wright, K. E., Adamala, K., Arina de la Rubia, L., Bond, J., Dartnell, L. R., Goldman, A. D., Lynch, K., et al. (2016) · Astrobiology · doi:10.1089/ast.2015.1460 · Cited by 136 · see citing works
“This composition was at least mildly reducing, although how reducing it was is debated (Tian et al., 2005; Catling, 2006).”
Kuramoto, K., Umemoto, T., & Ishiwatari, M. (2013) · Earth and Planetary Science Letters · doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2013.05.050 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
- Authors
- Catling, D. C.
- Affiliations
- University of Washington (US)
- Corresponding author
- Catling, David C.
- ORCID
- Catling, David C.
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 2006-01-06
- Volume
- 311
- Issue
- 5757
- Pages
- 38-38
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W1965574214
- Cited by
- 51
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 4
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Explore Bristol Research (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Astro and Planetary Science
- 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
- Keywords
- early Earth atmosphere, hydrogen escape, thermosphere, UV absorption, geomagnetic field, neutral hydrogen
- MeSH terms
- Atmosphere, Carbon Dioxide, Helium, Hydrogen, Organic Chemicals, Temperature, Earth, Planet, Evolution, Chemical
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