It is almost impossible to comprehend the destructive power of a supernova explosion. An exploding supernova can be more powerful than the host galaxy. Considering that a galaxy can hold hundreds of billions of stars, that seems almost impossible. If a planet was too close to a supernova, it would be destroyed by all the energy released, its atmosphere would be stripped away, and it would even be shredded into pieces.
It all comes down to dose.
Life might exist with a certain amount of activity.
Many Universe Today readers know about the chemistry of supernova explosions. During the formation of stars and planets, elements like iron are spread out into space. We wouldn't be here without them.
Life on Earth appears to have evolved.
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The professor is from the National Space Institute.
There is a new research article that sheds light on another way that supernovae support life. Oxygen may have been added to the atmosphere because of the Supernova activity. Oxygen is needed for complex life.
The oxygen is at the end of a long chain of cause and effect, and it all begins with the GCR.
The article is titled Supernova Rates and Burial of Organic Matter. The author is a physicist and professor in the Division of Solar System Physics at the Danish National Space Institute. The paper was published in the journal.
The letter says that life on Earth appears to have evolved from the influence of supernovae activity. There is evidence that shows a connection between climate, clouds, and rays from the stars.
Cosmic rays are produced when heavy stars explode. Cosmic rays travel to our solar system, and some end their journey by colliding with Earth's atmosphere. They are responsible for ionizing the atmosphere here.
Aerosols are created by the energy from the Cosmic rays. That increases cloud formation. Clouds block solar radiation from reaching Earth. The temperature differences between the polar regions and mid-latitudes are greater. The differences create stronger winds and ocean currents.
The research letter shows the correlation between supernova rates and trace elements in the ocean. The ocean has a proxy for the nutrients found in pyrite. The colored band at the top of the figure shows the periods of warm, cold, blue, and white. The geological periods are Cm Cambrian, O Ordovician, S Silurian, D Devonian, C Carboniferous, P Permian, and J Jurassic. The image is credited to Svensmark.
More chemical elements are delivered to the upper 200 meters of the ocean, near continental shelves, where bio-productivity is highest, if the cycle of nutrients is stronger. When there is higher bio-productivity, more organisms live and die, and when they die, they fall to the ocean floor as organic matter. The paper was titled, "Supernova Rates and Burial of Organic Matter."
supernovae activity can vary wildly on geological time scales. The effect on climate can be seen on long time scales.
The research letter shows the increased levels of organic matter that result from supernovae. The lower panel shows the organic matter in the ocean. There are star cluster data and open cluster data that can be used to calculate the rate of supernova explosions. The lower panel is in close proximity to the top panel. The author says that the correlation is more clear for the last 500 million years. The image is credited to Svensmark.
The increased organic matter leads to more oxygen. Read on.
Carbon 12 is the organic matter in the ocean. The ratio of C12 to C13 in the soil shows the presence of life over time.
All of this activity has consequences. When organic matter moves into the ground, it becomes a source of oxygen. If all of that organic matter were exposed to the atmosphere, it would react with atmospheric oxygen and pull the oxygen out of the atmosphere. Oxygen remains in the atmosphere since organic matter is buried. Life needs oxygen.
This wouldn't happen without the nearby supernova. The climate would be warmer if there wasn't enough nearby supernova activity. The winds and ocean currents would be less powerful. The ocean currents needed to deliver chemical nutrients to the ocean would not be present. The ocean currents and atmospheric winds would be weakened by a warmer climate. Less bioproductivity means less organic material in the ocean. The author writes that the ocean-atmosphere system determines the mixing and transport in the oceans and atmosphere.
There are lectures onphysgeog at the blue.utb.edu.
The ocean currents are shown in this image. The ocean conveyor belt is created by all those currents. The belt and winds drive Earth's cycle. The image is by Dr. Michael Pidwirny and can be found at http://www.physicalgeography.net.
The source of oxygen is indirectly coming from moving organic matter. Oxygen and sugar are produced from light, water and CO2. Oxygen and organic matter become CO2 and water if organic material is not moved. This reverse reaction is prevented by the burial of organic material. The author says that oxygen is the foundation of all complex life.
Oxygen underpins the evolution of complex life and is the primary source of oxygen. He says that the new evidence shows an extraordinary connection between life on Earth and supernovae, due to the effect of Cosmic rays on clouds and climate.
Life on Earth comes down to dosage. Some supernovae have been close enough to contribute to partial extinctioce. The second-largest extinction in Earth's history may have been caused by a supernova explosion. If one were too close, Earth would be destroyed. According to the research, some supernovae activity helped drive life on Earth by increasing atmospheric oxygen.
We are used to thinking of nearby supernovae as potentially devastating to life on Earth. The study shows that the dosage is what matters.
Life on Earth might look different if there were no supernova activity in our area.
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