scholarly journals UV Transmission in Natural Waters on Prebiotic Earth

Astrobiology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sukrit Ranjan ◽  
Corinna L. Kufner ◽  
Gabriella G. Lozano ◽  
Zoe R. Todd ◽  
Azra Haseki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Waters ◽  
Prebiotic Earth

scholarly journals A carbonate-rich lake solution to the phosphate problem of the origin of life

2019 ◽  
Vol 117 (2) ◽  
pp. 883-888 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan D. Toner ◽  
David C. Catling
Keyword(s):  
Energy Transfer ◽  
Steady State ◽  
Origin Of Life ◽  
Chemical Weathering ◽  
Natural Waters ◽  
Environmental Constraints ◽  
The Origin Of Life ◽  
Prebiotic Syntheses ◽  
Prebiotic Earth ◽  
Low Solubility

Phosphate is central to the origin of life because it is a key component of nucleotides in genetic molecules, phospholipid cell membranes, and energy transfer molecules such as adenosine triphosphate. To incorporate phosphate into biomolecules, prebiotic experiments commonly use molar phosphate concentrations to overcome phosphate’s poor reactivity with organics in water. However, phosphate is generally limited to micromolar levels in the environment because it precipitates with calcium as low-solubility apatite minerals. This disparity between laboratory conditions and environmental constraints is an enigma known as “the phosphate problem.” Here we show that carbonate-rich lakes are a marked exception to phosphate-poor natural waters. In principle, modern carbonate-rich lakes could accumulate up to ∼0.1 molal phosphate under steady-state conditions of evaporation and stream inflow because calcium is sequestered into carbonate minerals. This prevents the loss of dissolved phosphate to apatite precipitation. Even higher phosphate concentrations (>1 molal) can form during evaporation in the absence of inflows. On the prebiotic Earth, carbonate-rich lakes were likely abundant and phosphate-rich relative to the present day because of the lack of microbial phosphate sinks and enhanced chemical weathering of phosphate minerals under relatively CO2-rich atmospheres. Furthermore, the prevailing CO2 conditions would have buffered phosphate-rich brines to moderate pH (pH 6.5 to 9). The accumulation of phosphate and other prebiotic reagents at concentration and pH levels relevant to experimental prebiotic syntheses of key biomolecules is a compelling reason to consider carbonate-rich lakes as plausible settings for the origin of life.

THE MECHANISM OF NITRATES TRANSFORMATION IN THE PROCESSES OF ELECTROCHEMICAL TREATMENT OF NATURAL WATERS

2002 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-346
Author(s):  
Viorica Iambartev ◽  
Gheorghe Duca ◽  
Maria Gonta ◽  
Vera Matveevici
Keyword(s):  
Natural Waters ◽  
Electrochemical Treatment

DISTRIBUTION OF DISSOLVED METHANE IN SURFACE COASTAL WATERS OF THE NORTHEASTERN PART OF THE BLACK SEA

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Kovaleva ◽  
Elena Kovaleva ◽  
Alexander Izhitskiy ◽  
Alexander Izhitskiy ◽  
Alexander Egorov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Black Sea ◽  
Natural Waters ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Methane Formation ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressure ◽  
Russian Science ◽  
Southeastern Part ◽  
Dissolved Methane ◽  
Continental Runoff

Studying of methane formation and distribution in natural waters is important for understanding of biogeochemical processes of carbon cycle, searching for oil and gas sections and evaluation of CH4 emissions for investigations of greenhouse effect. The Black Sea is the largest methane water body on our planet. However, relatively low values of methane concentration (closed to equilibrium with the atmospheric air) are typical of the upper aerobic layer. At the same time, the distribution pattern of CH4 in surface waters of coastal areas is complicated by the influence of coastal biological productivity, continental runoff, bottom sources, hydrodynamic processes and anthropogenic effect. The investigation is focused on the spatial variability of dissolved methane in the surface layer of the sea in coastal regions affected by the continental runoff and anthropogenic pressure. Unique in situ data on methane concentrations were collected along the ship track on 2 sections between Sochi and Gelendzhik (2013, 2014) and 2 sections between Gelendzhik and Feodosia (2015). Overall 170 samples were obtained. Gas-chromatographic analysis of the samples revealed increase of CH4 saturation in the southeastern part of the Crimean shelf and the Kerch Strait area. Such a pattern was apparently caused by the influence of the Azov Sea water spread westward along the Crimean shore from the strait. This work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, Project 14-50-00095 and the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, Project 16-35-00156 mol_a.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document