Effects of high CO2 levels on surface temperature and atmospheric oxidation state of the early Earth

One-dimensional radiative-convective and photochemical models are used to examine the effects of enhanced CO₂ concentrations on the surface temperature of the early Earth and the composition of the prebiotic atmosphere. Carbon dioxide concentrations of the order of 100–1000 times the present level are required to compensate for an expected solar luminosity decrease of 25–30%, if CO₂ and H₂O were the only greenhouse gases present. The primitive stratosphere was cold and dry, with a maximum H₂O volume mixing ratio of 10^–6. The atmospheric oxidation state was controlled by the balance between volcanic emission of reduced gases, photo-stimulated oxidation of dissolved Fe⁺² in the oceans, escape of hydrogen to space, and rainout of H₂O₂ and H₂CO. At high CO₂ levels, production of hydrogen owing to rainout of H₂O₂ would have kept the H₂ mixing ratio above 2×10^–4 and the ground-level O₂ mixing ratio below 10^–11, even if no other sources of hydrogen were present. Increased solar UV fluxes could have led to small changes in the ground-level mixing ratios of both O₂ and H₂.