For a long time, Earth is known as a blue planet due to the extensive oceans that cover three -quarters of the surface, according to . But a new research in the journal Nature Geology & Evolution has claimed that the oceans have already been green.
According to this study, the reason for this unusual color of the oceans was due to the time and evolution of the photosynthesis process. Interestingly, the researchers believe that the color of the oceans will probably change again in the future.
Researchers at the University of Nagoya have pointed to the high solubility of continental rocks to understand why the oceans were once green. Between 2.5 and 1.5 billion years and during Arcen or first biological era, when life was limited to single -celled organisms in the oceans, continental rock iron was washed as a result of rainfall. Next, the rivers were transported to the seas, where they were gathered with more iron from volcanic valves on the ocean floor.
These iron -filled conditions led to a phenomenon called the “Great Oxidation Event” in which the world became oxygenated to oxygenized in 1.5 billion years before the anaerobic (low oxygen) environment.
During this period, cyanobacteria began producing oxygen through the photosynthesis process. Oxygen, of course, is one of the by -products of this process. Early cyanobacteria, unlike modern plants, did not rely only on chlorophyll. Rather, they had a secondary pigment called ficooritrail (Peb) that had an ideal function in absorbing green light. These cyanobacteria survived and released oxygen in water and atmosphere, which led to the evolution of more complex forms of life. But the researchers wanted to understand the reason for the use of cyanobacteria (PEB).
Using advanced simulations, the research group found that green light during the Arcen era form the dominant color spectrum due to a process called iron rainfall.
They found that the growing oxygen production eventually reacted with iron and changed. According to genetic analysis, cyanobacteria became a particular phicobiline protein called phyticarine, which specifically absorbed green light. Researchers believe that this process has led cyanobacteria to stay in the oceans full of iron and green.
Modern observations around the Iwujima volcanic island in Japan reflect the oxidized iron -related green aura, which also supports researchers’ simulation.
Researchers’ hypothesis models suggest that the oceans of the earth may have different color halo under different environmental conditions. For example, if the level of water sulfur increases, the oceans are likely to be purple due to volcanic activities and lack of oxygen in the atmosphere.
(tagstotranslate) Scientific research (T) ocean
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