The Emergence of an Aerobic World - Drilling Early Earth Project.

The development of new analytical techniques, and improved models for planetary evolution have intensified research into the evolution of the Earth and targeted several critical time intervals, particularly when the biosphere and geosphere were experienci ng global-scale changes. The current proposal focuses on the emergence of an aerobic world of planet Earth through the Archaean-Proterozoic transition (APT). The rise in atmospheric O2 and change in sources and sinks of O2 triggered substantial variations in the geochemical balance of the atmosphere-ocean-system and represented the greatest challenge for life on Earth since its beginning. However, the timing and cause-and-affect relationships between key geological and biogeochemical events in the APT are poorly understood. The proposed project will address key evolutionary problems at the ATP by studying c. 4000 m fresh drillcores obtained from the Russian part of Fennoscandia by the ICDP FAR-DEEP. Integration of various proxy datasets obtained on drillc ores by a co-operating, multidisciplinary research group comprising over 70 earth scientists from fifteen countries (FAR-DEEP research community) will provide a self-consistent model of emergence an aerobic world on Earth. The project has a great potentia l for developing strong collaborative research ties with American, Australian, European and Russian scientists and integrating international cutting-edge analytical facilities for studying an exceptional period of Earth evolution. The project overlaps wit h a new prioritised direction in the Earth and planetary sciences that targets the Coevolution of the Earth and Life, Planetary Habitability, and Climate Change. Under this scientific 'umbrella', the project has its own distinct position: a multidisciplin ary approach to unravel the evolution of life conditions during the transition from an anoxic to an oxic global environment. The project is a Norwegian contribution to the ICDP FAR-DEEP.