What'sUpWithThatWatts, et al.: {5a} The Most Beautiful Graph on Earth

Saturday, February 6, 2016

{5a} The Most Beautiful Graph on Earth - A. Hessler

I've been sporadically working on my next post regarding the "Evolution of our Atmosphere," but it's challenging, I can't find a nice clean presentation to work with. Excellent bits and pieces, none of it specifically what I'm looking for.

My favorite lead is a paper by Angela Hessler "Earth's Earliest Climate" which I'm trying to summarize - but days are crowded and surprises may lay in wait, making it impossible to write for a while and it's been so long since my last installment I at least want to share the gold nugget I found in her paper, the following graph.

It's a wonderful collection of our planet's geophysical vital signs. Okay, I'm not positive it's the "most" beautiful graph on Earth, beauty is in the eye of the beholder - but I am sure it's a fantastic window into the physical reality of our Earth and how the pageant of time has created the biosphere we humans take oh so for granted. Hope to be back soon.

Earth's Earliest Climate

By: Angela M. Hessler (Chevron Energy Technology Company) © 2011 Nature Education
Currently director of the Deep Time Institute

thin red line, that drops dramatically and then has a couple spikes = Impact rate

doted red line = Solar luminosity

dark green line = CO2

light green line = CH4 (methane)
red line = O2

blue line = Ocean surface temperature

Two vertical bands, in the Archean = earliest sedimentary rock formation (continent building)

Dark gray vertical bands = glacial episodes

(The moon would have formed shortly after accretion ended (the white bar), early in the Hadean)
(The reign of humanity would fit within tiniest vertical sliver at the far right end of this graph)

EARTH'S CLIMATE: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

Citation: Hessler, A. M. (2011) Earth’s Earliest Climate. Nature Education Knowledge 3(10):24
Lead Editor: Figen Mekik

http://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/earth-s-earliest-climate-24206248

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Index:

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

{1} Our Global Heat and Moisture Distribution Engine

http://whatsupwiththatwatts.blogspot.com/2016/01/earths-heat-moisture-engine.html

Saturday, January 9, 2016

{2} Co-evolution of Minerals and Life | Dr Robert Hazen

http://whatsupwiththatwatts.blogspot.com/2016/01/2-coevolution-of-minerals-and-life.html