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Published Online April 7, 2005
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1106983

Reports

Submitted on November 1, 2004
Accepted on March 24, 2005

A Hydrogen-Rich Early Earth Atmosphere

Feng Tian 1*, Owen B. Toon 2, Alexander A. Pavlov 3, Hans De Sterck 4

1 Astrophysical and Planetary Science Department; Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
2 Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics; Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303 USA.
3 Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
4 Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

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

We show that the escape of hydrogen from the early Earth's atmosphere should occur at rates two orders of magnitude slower than previously thought. The balance between slow hydrogen escape and volcanic outgassing could have maintained a hydrogen mixing ratio more than 30%. The production of prebiotic organic compounds in such an atmosphere would have been more efficient than either exogenous delivery or synthesis in hydrothermal systems. The organic soup in the oceans and ponds on the early Earth would have been a more favorable place for the origin of life than previously thought.


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