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UV radiation from the young Sun and oxygen and ozone levels in the prebiological palaeoatmosphere

Nature volume 296, pages 816–820 (1982)Cite this article

Abstract

UV measurements of young T-Tauri stars, resembling the Sun at an age of a few million years, have recently been made with the International Ultraviolet Explorer. They indicate that young stars emit up to 104 times more UV than the present Sun. The implications for the origin and evolution of O2 and O3 in the prebiological palaeoatmosphere are presented here. The results of photochemical calculations indicate that the O2 surface mixing ratio was a factor 104–106 times greater than the standard value of 10−15. This new value reconciles the simultaneous existence of oxidized iron and reduced uranium.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. NASA, Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, 10025, USA

    V. M. Canuto

  2. NASA, Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia, 23665, USA

    J. S. Levine & T. R. Augustsson

  3. C.S.C., NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, 20771, USA

    C. L. Imhoff

Authors
  1. V. M. Canuto
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  2. J. S. Levine
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  3. T. R. Augustsson
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  4. C. L. Imhoff
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Canuto, V., Levine, J., Augustsson, T. et al. UV radiation from the young Sun and oxygen and ozone levels in the prebiological palaeoatmosphere. Nature 296, 816–820 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1038/296816a0

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