Daylength on Earth has increased very gradually from something like 4-12 hours 4.5 billion year ago to 24 hours at present. In this video, JUDITH KLATT explores whether the emergence of oxygen on our planet, vital to the evolution of life, can be linked to changes in the Earth’s rotation rate (daylength). Klatt’s study focuses on the release of oxygen from microbial mats. Modeling and testing in the Middle Island Sinkhole under Lake Huron reveals a positive relationship between daylength and oxygen release. Further research will seek to more specifically identify how microbial mats imprint in the geological record.


Video by Latest Thinking: www.lt.org
LT Video Publication DOI: https://doi.org/10.21036/LTPUB10945


Possible Link Between Earth’s Rotation Rate and Oxygenation.

J.M. Klatt, A. Chennu, B.K. Arbic and et al.
Nature Geoscience
Published in 2021