The chemical composition and climatology of the earth's early atmosphereThe earth's climate as it relates to the evolution of life is discussed.. Seven fundamental characteristics of the early evolutionary environment are examined, including a carbon dioxide and water vapor atmosphere, atmospheric mass between 500 and 1000 mb, a global hydrosphere, lowered solar luminosity, hospitable average global temperatures, a convectively active atmosphere, and trace gases. The influence of the early earth's extensive hydrosphere on the origin of life is considered. The warming of that hydrosphere due to radiative fluxes and the greenhouse effect is examined, and the nature of the feedback between clouds and climate is addressed.
Document ID
19830049938
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Henderson-Sellers, A. (Liverpool, University Liverpool, England; NASA, Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, NY, United States)
Date Acquired
August 11, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1983
Subject Category
Geophysics
Meeting Information
Meeting: Cosmochemistry and the origin of life; Advanced Study Institute