Stagewise oxygenation of the Earth's atmosphere and oceans (IMAGE)

Innovation Press

Stagewise oxygenation of the Earth's atmosphere and oceans

Caption

  • Earth's O2 rose unevenly: shallow seas first, then the atmosphere, and much later the deep ocean.
  • Triple-oxygen isotopes reveal three major stages in atmospheric O2 rise.
  • During a 2-billion-year transition, atmosphere and ocean O2 sometimes diverged despite long-term rise.
  • Ocean oxygenation was highly variable, with extreme spatial heterogeneity over time.

Credit

Stagewise oxygenation of the Earth's atmosphere and oceans

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License

CC BY

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