Radiative-photochemical models of the primitive terrestrial atmosphere

The vertical thermal structure of a primitive terrestrial atmosphere is investigated with a radiative-convective-photochemical model. The radiative code includes the short wave contribution from water vapor and ozone, and long wave contribution from methane, carbon dioxide, water vapor and ozone. Calculations for an oxygen level of 10^?3 PAL and different CO₂ levels shows that the water vapor content, and consequently the odd hydrogen concentration, in the stratosphere is controlled by the temperature which is strongly reduced from present values due to the lower ozone content. As a result, depending on the assumed mechanism for controlling the H₂O mixing ratio, a considerable feedback is introduced on the ozone columnar density.The same model is used to parameterize the infrared outgoing flux as a function of surface temperature to be used in a two-mode energy balance climate model. This computation is addressed to the question of whether a large amount of carbon dioxide in the primitive atmosphere could be effective in producing a greenhouse effect able to compensate for the Sun's lower luminosity. It is found that with 25 times the present carbon dioxide mixing ratio, due to the ice-albedo feedback mechanism, a decrease of 9% in the solar constant could be enough to produce an ice-covered Earth.