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Updated: Jun 27, 2026
06:29
Simulation of Early Earth Hydrothermal Chimneys in a Thermal Gradient Environment
Published on: February 27, 2021
A revised, hazy methane greenhouse for the Archean Earth
Jacob D Haqq-Misra1, Shawn D Domagal-Goldman, Patrick J Kasting
1Department of Meteorology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA. misra@meteo.psu.edu
Astrobiology
|December 20, 2008
Summary
Early Earth may have been kept warm by methane and ethane, not just carbon dioxide. Rising oxygen levels later caused cooling, leading to ice ages despite the fainter young Sun.
Area of Science:
- Geoscience
- Climate Science
- Astrobiology
Background:
- Early Earth's climate was paradoxically warm despite a fainter young Sun.
- Paleosol data from the Late Archean/Paleoproterozoic (2.8-2.2 Ga) suggest higher atmospheric CO2 than typically assumed.
- The presence of additional greenhouse gases is hypothesized to explain the warm climate.
Observation:
- Methanogenic bacteria, likely present in the Late Archean, could produce atmospheric methane (CH4).
- Previous models indicated a CH4-CO2-H2O greenhouse could maintain warmth within paleosol CO2 constraints.
- This study revisits these models with corrected CH4 absorption coefficients and considers organic haze effects.
Findings:
- Corrected CH4 warming is limited, requiring higher pCO2 (≥0.03 bar) than paleosol data suggest.
- Methane provided sufficient warming to explain the subsequent Paleoproterozoic cooling and glaciation linked to rising oxygen.
- Higher hydrocarbon gases, like ethane (C2H6), likely contributed significantly to Late Archean greenhouse warming.
Implications:
- Revises understanding of early Earth's atmospheric composition and greenhouse gas balance.
- Highlights the complex interplay between biological activity, atmospheric chemistry, and climate regulation.
- Suggests hydrocarbon gases played a crucial role in maintaining habitable conditions on early Earth.
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