Alcott, LJ orcid.org/0000-0001-9068-8010, Mills, BJW orcid.org/0000-0002-9141-0931 and Poulton, SW orcid.org/0000-0001-7621-189X (2019) Stepwise Earth oxygenation is an inherent property of global biogeochemical cycling. Science, 366 (6471). pp. 1333-1337. ISSN 0036-8075
Abstract
Oxygenation of Earth’s atmosphere and oceans occurred across three major steps during the Paleoproterozoic, Neoproterozoic, and Paleozoic eras, with each increase having profound consequences for the biosphere. Biological or tectonic revolutions have been proposed to explain each of these stepwise increases in oxygen, but the principal driver of each event remains unclear. Here we show, using a theoretical model, that the observed oxygenation steps are a simple consequence of internal feedbacks in the long-term biogeochemical cycles of carbon, oxygen, and phosphorus, and that there is no requirement for a specific stepwise external forcing to explain the course of Earth surface oxygenation. We conclude that Earth’s oxygenation events are entirely consistent with gradual oxygenation of the planetary surface after the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | Copyright © 2019, American Association for the Advancement of Science. This is an author produced version of a paper published in Science. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Earth Surface Science Institute (ESSI) (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number Royal Society WM150108 Leverhulme Trust Not Known NERC Not Known NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) NE/S009663/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 04 Nov 2019 12:07 |
Last Modified: | 29 Jun 2020 11:49 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | American Association for the Advancement of Science |
Identification Number: | 10.1126/science.aax6459 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:152586 |