The Rise of Atmospheric Oxygen
- 3 August 2001
- journal article
- editorial
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 293 (5531), 819-820
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1063811
Abstract
When did atmospheric oxygen rise to near present concentrations? And what led to this rise? As Kasting explains in his Perspective, recent results have provided stronger-than-ever evidence that the switch from an anoxic to an oxic atmosphere occurred around 2300 millions years ago, but researchers remain divided over the mechanism. Catling et al. resurrect a previously proposed mechanism involving hydrogen escape to space, with a couple of new twists. Whether their mechanism is viable depends on the oxidation state of the continental and oceanic crust at this crucial time of Earth's evolution.Keywords
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