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Climate change via CO2 drawdown from astrophysically initiated atmospheric ionization?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 May 2020

Adrian L. Melott Open the ORCID record for Adrian L. Melott [Opens in a new window] ,
Brian C. Thomas  and
Brian D. Fields
Adrian L. Melott*
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS66045, USA
Brian C. Thomas
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas66621, USA
Brian D. Fields
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy and Department of Physics, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL61801, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Adrian L. Melott, E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Motivated by the occurrence of a moderately nearby supernova near the beginning of the Pleistocene, possibly as part of a long-term series beginning in the Miocene, we investigated whether nitrate rainout resulting from the atmospheric ionization of enhanced cosmic ray flux could have, through its fertilizer effect, initiated carbon dioxide drawdown. Such a drawdown could possibly reduce the greenhouse effect and induce the climate change that led to the Pleistocene glaciations. We estimate that the nitrogen flux enhancement onto the surface from an event at 50 pc would be of order 10%, probably too small for dramatic changes. We estimate deposition of iron (another potential fertilizer) and find it is also too small to be significant. There are also competing effects of opposite sign, including muon irradiation and reduction in photosynthetic yield caused by UV increase from stratospheric ozone layer depletion, leading to an ambiguous result. However, if the atmospheric ionization induces a large increase in the frequency of lightning, as argued elsewhere, the amount of nitrate synthesis should be much larger, dominate over the other effects and induce the climate change. More work needs to be done to clarify the effects on lightning frequency.

Keywords

Climate changeglaciationsupernovae
Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Astrobiology , Volume 19 , Issue 5 , October 2020 , pp. 349 - 352
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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