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1-2: Evolution of the Earth's Atmosphere

Short Summaries of Recent Research

• Slow Loss of Hydrogen in the Early Atmosphere Promoted Life
  
  
• View on climate change from petroleum geologists
  
  
• Role of Microscopic Life Forms in the Evolution of the Earth's Atmosphere
  
  

Websites

• Planets and Atmospheres
  
  
• The very latest photos of the sun from the Solar and Heliosphere Observatory
  
  
• Global Warming Glossary from the EPA
  
  

Additional References

• Kerr, R.A., 2005: The story of O₂. Science, 308, 1730-1732.
  
  
• Solanki, S.K., I.G. Usoskin, B. Kromer, M. Schussler, and J. Beer, 2004: Unusual activity of the Sun during recent decades compared to previous 11,000 years. Nature, 431, 1084-1087.
  
  
• Palle, E., P.R, Goode, P. Montanes-Rodriguez, and S.E. Koonin, 2004: Changes in Earth's reflectance over the past two decades. Science, 304, 1299-1301.
  
  
• Karl, D.M., E.A. Laws, P.J. Morris, L. Williams, and S. Emerson, 2003: Metabolic balance of the open sea. Nature, 426, 32.
  
  
• Toon, O. B., 2003: African dust in Florida clouds. Nature, 424, 623-624.
  
  
• Wiechert, U., 2002: Earth's early atmosphere. Science, 298, 2341-2342.
  
  
• Kasting, J. F., 2001: The rise of atmospheric oxygen. Science, 293, 819-820.
  
  
• Catling, D. C., K. J. Zahnle, and C. P. McKay, 2001: Biogenic methane, hydrogen escape, and the irreversible oxidation of early earth.Science, 293, 839-843.
  
  
• Des Marais, D. J., 2000: When did phytosynthesis emerge on Earth? Science, 289, 1703-1705.
  
  
• Kasting, James F., 1997: Warming Early Earth and Mars. Science, 276, 1213-1215.
  
  
• Sagan, Carl and Christopher Chyba, 1997: The Early Faint Sun Paradox. Science, 276, 1217-1221.
  
  
• Houghton, J. T., L. G. Meira Filho, B. A. Callander N. Harris, A. Kattenberg, and K. Maskell, 1996: Climate Change 1995. The Science of Climate Change. Cambridge University Press: 57-59.
  
  
• Birks, J.W., Calvert, J.G., Sievers, R. E., eds, 1992: The Chemistry of the Atmosphere: Its Impact on Global Change: Chemrawn VII Perspectives and Recommendations, The Agency for International Development, 163 pp.
  
  
• McElroy, M.B., Salawitch, R.J., 1989: Changing composition of the global stratosphere. Science, 243, 763-770.
  
  
• Wayne, Richard P., 1985: Chemistry of the Atmosphere. Oxford Science Publications, 361 pp.