title: The rise of oxygen in Earth's early ocean and atmosphere.
abstract: The rapid increase of carbon dioxide concentration in Earth's modern atmosphere is a matter of major concern. But for the atmosphere of roughly two-and-half billion years ago, interest centres on a different gas: free oxygen (O2) spawned by early biological production. The initial increase of O2 in the atmosphere, its delayed build-up in the ocean, its increase to near-modern levels in the sea and air two billion years later, and its cause-and-effect relationship with life are among the most compelling stories in Earth's history.
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, USA.
authors.forename: Timothy W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Lyons
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Earth Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, USA [2] Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA [3] School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Reinhard
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Earth Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, USA [2] Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, USA.
authors.forename: Noah J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Planavsky
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001272:Atmosphere / Q000737:chemistry*; D018534:Earth, Planet; D019418:Evolution, Chemical; D049690:History, Ancient; D019369:Life; D010100:Oxygen / Q000032:analysis / Q000266:history / Q000378:metabolism*; D010788:Photosynthesis; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen