A pioneering study, partially funded by NASA’s Astrobiology program, uncovers how Earth’s atmosphere may undergo significant changes over the next billion years due to escalating solar radiation. Researchers from NASA and Japan’s Toho University employed sophisticated computer simulations to project the long-term development of Earth’s atmosphere, incorporating elements of climate science, biology, and geology.
Directed by Kazumi Ozaki and Christopher Reinhard, the research forecasts that as the Sun grows increasingly luminous, Earth’s atmosphere will transition from its current oxygen-abundant condition to one that is incompatible with complex life forms. This shift is propelled by the gradual degradation of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), which is vital for the process of photosynthesis.
