Project description
Multiscale modelling of Earth’s early dynamic atmosphere
Earth’s atmosphere during its first 500 million years was filled with greenhouse gases that slowed atmospheric cooling. Little is known about the formation and transformation of chemical species and gases. The ERC-funded DAWN project plans to shed light on these processes with pioneering atom-level simulations spanning length and time scales. The project will begin with ab initio simulations of atomistic nanoscale thermodynamics and thermochemistry; the results will be fed forward into models of the cooling magma ocean, crystallization, and global circulation. DAWN’s models will capture fluxes between geological reservoirs, gas losses to space, incoming meteoritic contributions, and rapidly changing surface conditions, shining new light on the dawn of the Hadean atmosphere.
Objective
During the Hadean eon, the first 500 million years of Earth's geological history, the atmosphere underwent its most dramatic transformations. An abundance of greenhouse gases prevented runaway cooling in the face of a fainter Sun, but the concentration, chemistry, and decline rates of these gases are unknown. Retracing this intriguing metamorphosis is impeded by the scarcity of Hadean samples, a vast parameter space, and volatile flux estimates that largely rely on empirical extrapolations. Here, I aim to decipher the formation and chemical evolution of the Hadean atmosphere using a pioneering multi-scale approach, bridging atomic to planetary scales. At the foundation of my project lies a unique combination of state-of-the-art atomistic simulations that cover different length and time scales. With ab initio calculations, I compute equilibrium thermodynamics and thermochemistry at the nanoscale. Subsequently, I employ these ab initio results to train new advanced machine-learning interatomic potentials tailored for liquid-vapor and vapor-solid interactions. These simulations quantify the devolatilization rates from the cooling magma ocean and reconstruct the volatile cycle during its crystallization, including the effects of redox changes and fugacity variations. I incorporate the results of the atomistic simulations into thermochemical calculations and global circulation modeling. In this way, I simulate the behavior and evolution of the atmosphere in Hadean, retrace the major volatile fluxes between geological reservoirs and their contributions to the atmosphere, and dynamically integrate gas losses to space, incoming meteoritic contributions, and fast-changing surface conditions, including the appearance of the hydrosphere. This modeling also gives feedback on the surface state that constrains the atomistic simulations. Thus, I can chart a comprehensive evolutionary path of the Hadean atmosphere and bridge the gap to the better-constrained state of the Archaean.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences
- natural sciences physical sciences thermodynamics
- natural sciences chemical sciences physical chemistry thermochemistry
- natural sciences physical sciences molecular and chemical physics
- natural sciences computer and information sciences computational science multiphysics
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2024-ADG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
75794 PARIS
France
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.