Response to Comment on "A Hydrogen-Rich Early Earth Atmosphere"

doi:10.1126/science.1118412

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Response to Comment on "A Hydrogen-Rich Early Earth Atmosphere"

Feng Tian,¹^* Owen B. Toon,¹^,2 Alexander A. Pavlov¹

Catling speculates that the exobase of early Earth was hot andthat the ancient nonthermal escape rate was more than 1000 timesthe present rate. However, low oxygen and high carbon dioxideon early Earth yields a cold exobase, and nonthermal escaperates are limited and cannot balance the volcanic outgassingof hydrogen.

¹ Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
² Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed: E-mail: tian{at}colorado.edu

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TECHNICAL COMMENTS Comment on "A Hydrogen-Rich Early Earth Atmosphere": David C. Catling (6 January 2006)
Science 311 (5757), 38a. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1117827]
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REPORTS A Hydrogen-Rich Early Earth Atmosphere: Feng Tian, Owen B. Toon, Alexander A. Pavlov, and H. De Sterck (13 May 2005)
Science 308 (5724), 1014. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1106983]
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