Rapidly evolving ocean pH in the early Earth: Insights from global carbon cycle coupled with ocean chemistry

Rapidly evolving ocean pH in the early Earth: Insights from global carbon cycle coupled with ocean chemistry | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Rapidly evolving ocean pH in the early Earth: Insights from global carbon cycle coupled with ocean chemistry Meng Guo, Jun Korenaga This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4247090/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 10 Feb, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Geoscience → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The ocean pH is a fundamental property that regulates various aspects of Earth system evolution. However, the early ocean pH remains controversial, with estimates ranging from strongly acidic to alkaline. Here we show that, by coupling global carbon cycle with ocean charge balance, and by using Earth interior processes to specify the history of volatile distribution and ocean chemistry, a rapid increase in ocean pH is likely during the Hadean to early Archean, with the pH evolving from 5 to neutral by ~ 4.0 Ga. This rapid pH evolution is attributed primarily to the elevated rates of both seafloor and continental weathering during the Hadean, which in turn result from high surface temperatures, efficient CO 2 supply, rapid formation and destruction of both continental and oceanic crusts, and elevated levels of divalent cations in the crust. Earth likely transformed from a hostile state to a habitable one by the end of Hadean, which has important implications for planetary habitability and the origin of life. Earth and environmental sciences/Solid Earth sciences/Geochemistry Earth and environmental sciences/Ocean sciences/Marine chemistry Earth and environmental sciences/Planetary science/Geochemistry Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 10 Feb, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Geoscience → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4247090","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":290560042,"identity":"78ad11fe-b5d2-4d55-9f71-677cb661678b","order_by":0,"name":"Meng Guo","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA4ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDADfgjFTIIWyQZmUrUYHCBWi2577+EXDL8Oyxnf7j8mwVBhndjAf/wCXi1mZ86lWTD2HTY2u3OYTYLhTHpig0ROAX4tN3LMDBh7Diduu5HMJsHYdhiohScBv5b7byBaNs8AafkH1MJ/hoCWGzzGDxh+HE7cIAHS0gDUwpB+gIBfcswYEhvSjSVuJBtbJBxLN26TyMGrg8Hs+BnjDx/+WMvxz0h8eONDjbVsP//xB/j1MDCwSSS2QZkgT7Ax8BgQ0sL8geEPigA7QVtGwSgYBaNgZAEA9e1IIGk2fZQAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5478-0979","institution":"Nanyang Technological University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Meng","middleName":"","lastName":"Guo","suffix":""},{"id":290560043,"identity":"326663b1-cacf-4b09-be9a-a8f422bec4c6","order_by":1,"name":"Jun Korenaga","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4785-2273","institution":"Yale University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jun","middleName":"","lastName":"Korenaga","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-04-10 11:35:41","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4247090/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4247090/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01649-9","type":"published","date":"2025-02-10T05:00:00+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":75984558,"identity":"b65a7a27-8dbb-49aa-a8b4-2f536b87162c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-02-11 08:09:13","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1134698,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"RapidlyevolvingoceanpHintheearlyEarthInsightsfromglobalcarboncyclecoupledwithoceanchemistry.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4247090/v1_covered_fefbe752-11a5-4f03-a3d2-50ae66171719.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"There is \u003cb\u003eNO\u003c/b\u003e Competing Interest.","formattedTitle":"Rapidly evolving ocean pH in the early Earth: Insights from global carbon cycle coupled with ocean chemistry","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"nature-portfolio","isNatureJournal":true,"hasQc":false,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Nature Portfolio","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":false,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"ejp","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4247090/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4247090/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe ocean pH is a fundamental property that regulates various aspects of Earth system evolution. 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