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Originally published in Science Express on 7 April 2005
Science 13 May 2005:
Vol. 308. no. 5724, pp. 1014 - 1017
DOI: 10.1126/science.1106983
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Reports

A Hydrogen-Rich Early Earth Atmosphere

Feng Tian,1,2* Owen B. Toon,2,3 Alexander A. Pavlov,2 H. De Sterck4

We show that the escape of hydrogen from early Earth's atmosphere likely occurred at rates slower by two orders of magnitude than previously thought. The balance between slow hydrogen escape and volcanic outgassing could have maintained a hydrogen mixing ratio of 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 early Earth would have been a more favorable place for the origin of life than previously thought.

1 Astrophysical and Planetary Science Department, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
2 Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
3 Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
4 Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada.

Published online 7 April 2005

Include this information when citing this paper.

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

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