Archive – Artist's concept of the early Earth – NASA – Archive
April 10 () –
A new study reveals for the first time how the accumulation of carbon-rich rocks accelerated the production of oxygen and its release into the atmosphere.
Until now, the exact nature of how the atmosphere became oxygen-rich has long eluded scientists and generated conflicting explanations.
The new research –published in Nature Geoscience and led by a researcher at the University of Bristol – has uncovered important new insights into the evolution of oxygen, carbon and other vital elements throughout Earth's history, and could help assess which other planets were found. can develop life, from plants to animals and humans.
As carbon dioxide is continually emitted by volcanoes, it ends up entering the ocean and forming rocks such as limestone. As global reserves of these rocks accumulate, They can release their carbon during tectonic processes, including mountain building and metamorphism.
Using this knowledge, scientists built a unique sophisticated computer model to more accurately record key changes in carbon, nutrient and oxygen cycles deep into Earth's history, more than 4 billion years ago. life of the planet.
Lead author and biogeochemist Dr Lewis Alcott, Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol, said it's a statement: “This advance is important and exciting because it can help us understand how planets other than Earth have the potential to support intelligent, oxygen-breathing systems.” life.
“Previously we did not have a clear idea of why oxygen increased from very low concentrations to current concentrations, as computer models had not been able to accurately simulate all possible feedbacks together. This has baffled scientists for decades and created different theories.”
The discovery indicates that older planets, which originated billions of years ago like Earth, may have better prospects of accumulating sufficient carbon-rich deposits in their crust, which could facilitate rapid recycling of carbon and nutrients for the planet. life.
The findings showed that this gradual carbon enrichment of the bark results in increasing recycling rates of carbon and various minerals, including nutrients needed for photosynthesis, the process that green plants use sunlight to absorb nutrients from carbon dioxide. carbon and water. Therefore, This cycle continually accelerates oxygen production throughout Earth's history.
The research paves the way for future work to further unravel the complex interrelationships between planetary temperature, oxygen and nutrients, according to the authors.
Co-author Benjamin Mills, Professor of Earth System Evolution at the University of Leeds, said: “We have a lot of information about distant stars and the size of the planets orbiting them. Soon this could be used to make a prediction of the planet's potential chemistry. , and new advances in telescope technology should allow us to know if we are right“.
