Where Does Earth’s Water Come From A New Study May Show Us

Where Does Earth’s Water Come From? A New Study May Show Us

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Earth’s water has a particular ratio of deuterium. The prevailing theory doesn’t account for the current mix, while the new one might fill the gap.

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Where Does Earth’s Water Come From A New Study May Show Us

Most scientists agree that at least a large portion of the Earth’s water came from space, but it remains a bit of a mystery how it arrived on the surface. Being the only known planet in the Solar System to contain oceans of liquid water, the Earth is unique. Solving this puzzle involves intensive study of objects in space, some that have fallen to the ground and others that have been harvested directly from asteroids by spacecraft.

The early origins of planet Earth are thought to be violent and hot, which would boil off any preexisting water, leaving a rocky and dry land. But, of course, present-day Earth proves that a vast amount of water arrived on the planet somehow, presenting a challenge for scientists to resolve. Meteorites in the Solar System do have water content, and a popular theory is that these provided the Earth’s water.

The University of Glasgow recently shared the results of an analysis by an international team of scientists that might shed light on where the Earth’s water comes from. Working with particles harvested from the asteroid Itokawa by the Japanese space probe Hayabusa in 2010, researchers found a surprise of water in what should have been a very dry material. The next challenge was to understand how water arrived under the surface of these asteroid particles. The theory is that since the Sun ejects large quantities of hydrogen ions, these penetrate the surface of asteroid dust and debris, combining with oxygen contained within to form water, then drifting in the Solar Wind to Earth’s surface. Over billions of years, this might be enough to add a significant amount of water to the planet.

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What About Water In Meteors?

The problem with the meteorite theory is that analyses of samples show that the mix of deuterium and water is not a match for what is found on Earth. So while a large portion of Earth’s water could have arrived on the planet from meteors, there isn’t an accepted theory that accounts for the discrepancy in the water/deuterium mix. Deuterium is also known as heavy water since it’s a very similar molecule. It is composed of hydrogen and oxygen, but its hydrogen is an isotope that contains an electron, a proton and a neutron, whereas normal water has no neutron.

Scientists can measure this ratio to discover whether or not an extraterrestrial water source is a match. The meteors thought to be responsible for Earth’s water were found to have too much heavy water, while the water found in the Itokawa asteroid particles was lighter. A combination of the two might account for the current mix of water on planet Earth. That means a portion of the Earth’s water might have come from that giant flaming ball in the sky known as the Sun.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/earth-water-originated-sun-study/

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