Scientists paint a detailed picture of the chemical structure of oceans 520 million years ago
Monday, December 14, 2015 - 05:50
in Paleontology & Archaeology
Ocean chemistry has strongly shaped the evolution of life and biogeochemical cycles on the Earth. Although it was known that the early oceans (>520 million years ago) were characterized by strong water-column stratification and limited oxidant availability, the detailed chemical structure of early Earth oceans has remained unclear. Recently, researchers in Wuhan have developed a model of the spatial structure of early-Earth ocean chemistry that significantly advances our understanding of how oceanic conditions influenced the evolution of higher life on our planet.