A noie on the loss of hydrogen and the supply of hydrogen to the Earth as a direct or indirect effect of the solar wind

Abstract

The rate at which hydrogen is supplied to the Earth<br />by the solar wind, and the rate at which hydrogen escapes from the Earth<br />by diffusion into space are compared 011 the basis of recent estimates. It<br />is found that the hydrogen supplied by the solar wind is roughly comparable<br />to or may even be larger than present hydrogen losses. The Earth<br />may have lost most of its hydrogen at an early stage when, according to<br />Urey and Miller (1959), Pox (1960) and others, the Earth had a reducing,<br />instead of an oxidizing atmosphere. However, no sufficient evidence is<br />yet available to determine whether the Earth is still losing more hydrogen<br />than it receives. The common notion that the Earth is still in the process<br />of losing its hydrogen is therefore in question.