Coupled evolution of the atmospheres and interiors of planets and satellitesThe evolution of a planetary atmosphere can be powerfully influenced by the planetary interior's function as both a source and a sink of atmospheric constituents; the interior can in turn be strongly influenced by the atmosphere because the mechanism of interior heat loss depends on a volatile content for which the atmosphere can serve both as sink and source. The dependence of mantle rheology on volatile content could furnish a feedback mechanism tending to keep regassing/degassing in balance, thereby maintaining a relatively constant atmospheric mass. Consideration of the abundances of radiogenic and nonradiogenic noble gases in the earth's atmosphere, and of the fluxes of these gases from the mantle, support a large degassing event early on, followed by a decrease in degassing efficiency with time and relatively inefficient outgassing over most of geologic time.
Document ID
19890056418
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Authors
Schubert, G. (California, University Los Angeles, United States)
Turcotte, D. L. (Cornell University Ithaca, NY, United States)
Solomon, S. C. (MIT Cambridge, MA, United States)
Sleep, N. H. (Stanford University CA, United States)