What was the composition of the early atmosphere of Earth? What changes occurred to the early atmosphere? What was the key factor in creating an atmosphere similar to today?
· The early atmosphere was rich in nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor. There were also traces of methane and ammonium.
· Changes in the atmosphere began 3.5 billion years ago. The composition changed into nitrogen and oxygen.
· Carbon dioxide that was once abundant in the atmosphere began to get absorbed into seawater attributed to the changes in composition 3.5 billion years ago.
· The change in atmosphere allowed sunlight to penetrate the Earth's surface which was able to break up the water vapor.
· Photosynthetic organisms were key in changing the atmosphere approximately 1.5 billion years ago. These photosynthetic organisms produced large amounts of oxygen and are what caused our atmosphere to look similar to what it does today.
· The oxygen began oxidizing minerals in the sediments. Eventually, the oxygen began accumulating in the atmosphere.
· This increase in oxygen to the atmosphere is often called the oxygen revolution.
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