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Greenhouse warming by minor gases on early MarsThe early atmospheres of Earth and Mars were non-oxidizing mixtures likely derived from volcanic outgassing of a silicate mantle, with some fraction of the volatiles also contributed by impacting comets and meteorites. Here the authors investigate the potential of minor atmospheric constituents produced by ultraviolet and auroral chemistry to contribute to the thermal opacity of early Earth and Mars atmospheres. Using a very simple two-stream thermal opacity model, the authors show that HCN at 10 parts per million (ppm) and N2O at 100 ppm can each block radiation in thermal infrared windows sufficiently to increase the surface temperature by 7 K separately, or 14 K together. Small quantities of other species are also produced in such experiments. Some of these have especially complex infrared spectra and should be further investigated for their potential to help close windows in the CO2 + H2O infrared transmission. Enhancement of greenhouse warming by minor atmospheric species different from those present in today's atmosphere may have played important roles in the climate of early Earth and Mars.
Document ID
19920019779
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Heinrich, M. N.
(Cornell Univ. Ithaca, NY, United States)
Thompson, W. R.
(Cornell Univ. Ithaca, NY, United States)
Sagan, C.
(Cornell Univ. Ithaca, NY, United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1992
Publication Information
Publication: Lunar and Planetary Inst., Workshop on the Martian Surface and Atmosphere Through Time
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Exploration
Accession Number
92N29022
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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