Geochemical and Photochemical Constraints on S[IV] Concentrations in Natural Waters on Prebiotic Earth

Abstract

Abstract Aqueous S[IV] species (HSO3−, SO32−) derived from volcanogenic atmospheric SO2 are important to planetary habitability through their roles in proposed origins‐of‐life chemistry and influence on atmospheric sulfur haze formation, but the early cycling of S[IV] is poorly understood. Here, we combine new laboratory constraints on S[IV] disproportionation kinetics with a novel aqueous photochemistry model to estimate the concentrations of S[IV] in natural waters on prebiotic Earth. We show that S[IV] disproportionation is slow in pH ≥ 7 waters, with timescale T ≥ 1 year at room temperature, meaning that S[IV] was present in prebiotic natural waters. However, we also show that photolysis of S[IV] by UV light on prebiotic Earth limited [S[IV]] < 100 µM in global‐mean steady‐state. Because of photolysis, [S[IV]] was much lower in natural waters compared to the concentrations generally invoked in laboratory simulations of origins‐of‐life chemistry (≥10 mM), meaning further work is needed to confirm whether laboratory S[IV]‐dependent prebiotic chemistries could have functioned in nature. [S[IV]] ≥ 1 µM in terrestrial waters for: (a) SO2 outgassing ≥20× modern, (b) pond depths <10 cm, or (c) UV‐attenuating agents present in early waters or the prebiotic atmosphere. Marine S[IV] was sub‐saturated with respect to atmospheric SO2, meaning that atmospheric SO2 deposition was efficient and that, within the constraints of present knowledge, UV‐attenuating sulfur hazes could only have persisted on prebiotic Earth if sulfur emission rates were very high (≳100× modern). Our work illustrates the synergy between planetary science, geochemistry and synthetic organic chemistry toward understanding the emergence and maintenance of life on early Earth.

Keywords

• early Earth
• prebiotic environment
• modeling studies
• prebiotic chemistry
• sulfite
• sulfur