Marine phosphorus and atmospheric oxygen were coupled during the Great Oxidation Event

Matthew S. Dodd (), Chao Li (), Haodong Gu, Zihu Zhang, Mingcai Hou, Aleksey Sadekov, Carlos Alberto Rosière, Franco Pirajno, Lewis Alcott, Frantz Ossa Ossa, Benjamin J. W. Mills and Andrey Bekker
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Matthew S. Dodd: University of Western Australia
Chao Li: Chengdu University of Technology
Haodong Gu: China University of Geosciences
Zihu Zhang: Chengdu University of Technology
Mingcai Hou: Chengdu University of Technology
Aleksey Sadekov: University of Western Australia
Carlos Alberto Rosière: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
Franco Pirajno: University of Bristol
Lewis Alcott: Khalifa University of Science and Technology
Frantz Ossa Ossa: Khalifa University of Science and Technology
Benjamin J. W. Mills: University of Leeds
Andrey Bekker: University of Johannesburg

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract The Great Oxidation Event (GOE) represents a major increase in atmospheric O2 concentration between ca. 2430 and 2060 million years ago, culminating in the permanent shift to an oxygenated atmosphere. It’s causes remain debated. Here we use the carbonate-associated phosphate (CAP) proxy to reconstruct oceanic phosphorus concentrations during the GOE from globally distributed sedimentary rocks. We find that the CAP and the inorganic carbon isotope composition of marine sediments co-varied during the GOE, suggesting synchronous fluctuations in marine phosphorus, biological productivity, and atmospheric O₂. Biogeochemical modelling shows that transient increases in P bioavailability can raise oxygenic primary production and organic carbon burial, yielding isotopically heavy seawater inorganic carbon and reproducing the observed patterns. Consequently, geochemical and modelling data together suggest that P availability was a likely contributor to the rapid oxygenation of Earth during the GOE.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-64194-4

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