IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v13y2022i1d10.1038_s41467-022-33388-5.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Reconstructing Earth’s atmospheric oxygenation history using machine learning

Author

Listed:
  • Guoxiong Chen

    (China University of Geosciences)

  • Qiuming Cheng

    (China University of Geosciences
    China University of Geosciences
    Sun Yat-sen University)

  • Timothy W. Lyons

    (University of California)

  • Jun Shen

    (China University of Geosciences)

  • Frits Agterberg

    (Geological Survey of Canada)

  • Ning Huang

    (China University of Geosciences)

  • Molei Zhao

    (China University of Geosciences)

Abstract

Reconstructing historical atmospheric oxygen (O2) levels at finer temporal resolution is a top priority for exploring the evolution of life on Earth. This goal, however, is challenged by gaps in traditionally employed sediment-hosted geochemical proxy data. Here, we propose an independent strategy—machine learning with global mafic igneous geochemistry big data to explore atmospheric oxygenation over the last 4.0 billion years. We observe an overall two-step rise of atmospheric O2 similar to the published curves derived from independent sediment-hosted paleo-oxybarometers but with a more detailed fabric of O2 fluctuations superimposed. These additional, shorter-term fluctuations are also consistent with previous but less well-established suggestions of O2 variability. We conclude from this agreement that Earth’s oxygenated atmosphere may therefore be at least partly a natural consequence of mantle cooling and specifically that evolving mantle melts collectively have helped modulate the balance of early O2 sources and sinks.

Suggested Citation

  • Guoxiong Chen & Qiuming Cheng & Timothy W. Lyons & Jun Shen & Frits Agterberg & Ning Huang & Molei Zhao, 2022. "Reconstructing Earth’s atmospheric oxygenation history using machine learning," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-13, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-33388-5
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33388-5
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-33388-5
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-022-33388-5?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Shintaro Kadoya & David C. Catling & Robert W. Nicklas & Igor S. Puchtel & Ariel D. Anbar, 2020. "Mantle data imply a decline of oxidizable volcanic gases could have triggered the Great Oxidation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-9, December.
    2. Linda C. Kah & Timothy W. Lyons & Tracy D. Frank, 2004. "Low marine sulphate and protracted oxygenation of the Proterozoic biosphere," Nature, Nature, vol. 431(7010), pages 834-838, October.
    3. I. N. Bindeman & D. O. Zakharov & J. Palandri & N. D. Greber & N. Dauphas & G. J. Retallack & A. Hofmann & J. S. Lackey & A. Bekker, 2018. "Rapid emergence of subaerial landmasses and onset of a modern hydrologic cycle 2.5 billion years ago," Nature, Nature, vol. 557(7706), pages 545-548, May.
    4. Alexander J. Krause & Benjamin J. W. Mills & Shuang Zhang & Noah J. Planavsky & Timothy M. Lenton & Simon W. Poulton, 2018. "Stepwise oxygenation of the Paleozoic atmosphere," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 9(1), pages 1-10, December.
    5. Markus Reichstein & Gustau Camps-Valls & Bjorn Stevens & Martin Jung & Joachim Denzler & Nuno Carvalhais & Prabhat, 2019. "Deep learning and process understanding for data-driven Earth system science," Nature, Nature, vol. 566(7743), pages 195-204, February.
    6. Simon W. Poulton & Andrey Bekker & Vivien M. Cumming & Aubrey L. Zerkle & Donald E. Canfield & David T. Johnston, 2021. "A 200-million-year delay in permanent atmospheric oxygenation," Nature, Nature, vol. 592(7853), pages 232-236, April.
    7. C. Brenhin Keller & Blair Schoene, 2012. "Statistical geochemistry reveals disruption in secular lithospheric evolution about 2.5 Gyr ago," Nature, Nature, vol. 485(7399), pages 490-493, May.
    8. Lee R. Kump & Mark E. Barley, 2007. "Increased subaerial volcanism and the rise of atmospheric oxygen 2.5 billion years ago," Nature, Nature, vol. 448(7157), pages 1033-1036, August.
    9. Christopher T. Reinhard & Noah J. Planavsky & Benjamin C. Gill & Kazumi Ozaki & Leslie J. Robbins & Timothy W. Lyons & Woodward W. Fischer & Chunjiang Wang & Devon B. Cole & Kurt O. Konhauser, 2017. "Evolution of the global phosphorus cycle," Nature, Nature, vol. 541(7637), pages 386-389, January.
    10. He Liu & Wei-dong Sun & Robert Zartman & Ming Tang, 2019. "Continuous plate subduction marked by the rise of alkali magmatism 2.1 billion years ago," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-8, December.
    11. Robert Frei & Claudio Gaucher & Simon W. Poulton & Don E. Canfield, 2009. "Fluctuations in Precambrian atmospheric oxygenation recorded by chromium isotopes," Nature, Nature, vol. 461(7261), pages 250-253, September.
    12. Kurt O. Konhauser & Ernesto Pecoits & Stefan V. Lalonde & Dominic Papineau & Euan G. Nisbet & Mark E. Barley & Nicholas T. Arndt & Kevin Zahnle & Balz S. Kamber, 2009. "Oceanic nickel depletion and a methanogen famine before the Great Oxidation Event," Nature, Nature, vol. 458(7239), pages 750-753, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Daniel R. Hummer & Joshua J. Golden & Grethe Hystad & Robert T. Downs & Ahmed Eleish & Chao Liu & Jolyon Ralph & Shaunna M. Morrison & Michael B. Meyer & Robert M. Hazen, 2022. "Evidence for the oxidation of Earth’s crust from the evolution of manganese minerals," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-7, December.
    2. Bo Huang & Tim E. Johnson & Simon A. Wilde & Ali Polat & Dong Fu & Timothy Kusky, 2022. "Coexisting divergent and convergent plate boundary assemblages indicate plate tectonics in the Neoarchean," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-13, December.
    3. Mojtaba Fakhraee & Noah Planavsky, 2024. "Insights from a dynamical system approach into the history of atmospheric oxygenation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    4. Bo Huang & Man Liu & Timothy M. Kusky & Tim E. Johnson & Simon A. Wilde & Dong Fu & Hao Deng & Qunye Qian, 2023. "Changes in orogenic style and surface environment recorded in Paleoproterozoic foreland successions," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-14, December.
    5. Licheng Liu & Wang Zhou & Kaiyu Guan & Bin Peng & Shaoming Xu & Jinyun Tang & Qing Zhu & Jessica Till & Xiaowei Jia & Chongya Jiang & Sheng Wang & Ziqi Qin & Hui Kong & Robert Grant & Symon Mezbahuddi, 2024. "Knowledge-guided machine learning can improve carbon cycle quantification in agroecosystems," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-15, December.
    6. Zhang, Shuangyi & Li, Xichen, 2021. "Future projections of offshore wind energy resources in China using CMIP6 simulations and a deep learning-based downscaling method," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 217(C).
    7. Fangyi Zhang & Vincenzo Stagno & Lipeng Zhang & Chen Chen & Haiyang Liu & Congying Li & Weidong Sun, 2024. "The constant oxidation state of Earth’s mantle since the Hadean," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.
    8. Haitao Shang & Daniel H. Rothman & Gregory P. Fournier, 2022. "Oxidative metabolisms catalyzed Earth’s oxygenation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    9. Florian Reiner & Martin Brandt & Xiaoye Tong & David Skole & Ankit Kariryaa & Philippe Ciais & Andrew Davies & Pierre Hiernaux & Jérôme Chave & Maurice Mugabowindekwe & Christian Igel & Stefan Oehmcke, 2023. "More than one quarter of Africa’s tree cover is found outside areas previously classified as forest," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    10. Gianluca Biggi & Martina Iori & Julia Mazzei & Andrea Mina, 2024. "Green Intelligence: The AI content of green technologies," LEM Papers Series 2024/23, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    11. Wang, Yangjun & Liu, Kefeng & Zhang, Ren & Qian, Longxia & Shan, Yulong, 2021. "Feasibility of the Northeast Passage: The role of vessel speed, route planning, and icebreaking assistance determined by sea-ice conditions for the container shipping market during 2020–2030," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    12. Richards, Daniel Rex & Lavorel, Sandra, 2022. "Integrating social media data and machine learning to analyse scenarios of landscape appreciation," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    13. Wang Zheng & Anwen Zhou & Swapan K. Sahoo & Morrison R. Nolan & Chadlin M. Ostrander & Ruoyu Sun & Ariel D. Anbar & Shuhai Xiao & Jiubin Chen, 2023. "Recurrent photic zone euxinia limited ocean oxygenation and animal evolution during the Ediacaran," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    14. Fuzhi Lu & Huayu Lu & Yao Gu & Pengyu Lin & Zhengyao Lu & Qiong Zhang & Hongyan Zhang & Fan Yang & Xiaoyi Dong & Shuangwen Yi & Deliang Chen & Francesco S. R. Pausata & Maya Ben-Yami & Jennifer V. Mec, 2025. "Tipping point-induced abrupt shifts in East Asian hydroclimate since the Last Glacial Maximum," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-21, December.
    15. Galaz, Victor & Centeno, Miguel A. & Callahan, Peter W. & Causevic, Amar & Patterson, Thayer & Brass, Irina & Baum, Seth & Farber, Darryl & Fischer, Joern & Garcia, David & McPhearson, Timon & Jimenez, 2021. "Artificial intelligence, systemic risks, and sustainability," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    16. Zhang, Xinru & Hou, Lei & Liu, Jiaquan & Yang, Kai & Chai, Chong & Li, Yanhao & He, Sichen, 2022. "Energy consumption prediction for crude oil pipelines based on integrating mechanism analysis and data mining," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 254(PB).
    17. Alexandra Kunert & Brian Kendall, 2023. "Global ocean redox changes before and during the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    18. Zhou, Huanyu & Qiu, Yingning & Feng, Yanhui & Liu, Jing, 2022. "Power prediction of wind turbine in the wake using hybrid physical process and machine learning models," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 568-586.
    19. Matthew P. Brady & Rosalie Tostevin & Nicholas J. Tosca, 2022. "Marine phosphate availability and the chemical origins of life on Earth," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    20. Akash Koppa & Dominik Rains & Petra Hulsman & Rafael Poyatos & Diego G. Miralles, 2022. "A deep learning-based hybrid model of global terrestrial evaporation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-33388-5. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.