Strong evidence for a weakly oxygenated ocean–atmosphere system during the Proterozoic

Abstract

Significance Earth’s transition from anoxic oceans and atmosphere to a well-oxygenated state led to major changes in nearly every surficial system. However, estimates of surface oxygen levels in the billion years preceding this shift span two orders of magnitude, suggesting a poor understanding of the evolution of the oxygen cycle. We use the isotopic record of iron oxides deposited in ancient shallow marine environments to show that oxygen remained at extremely low levels in the ocean–atmosphere system for most of Earth’s history, and that a rise in oxygen occurred in step with the expansion of complex, eukaryotic ecosystems. These results indicate that Earth is capable of stabilizing at low atmospheric oxygen levels, with important implications for exploration of exoplanet biosignatures.