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Photobiological Effects at Earth's Surface Following a 50 pc Supernova.

Authors :
Thomas BC
Source :
Astrobiology [Astrobiology] 2018 May; Vol. 18 (5), pp. 481-490. Date of Electronic Publication: 2017 Dec 28.
Publication Year :
2018

Abstract

We investigated the potential biological impacts at Earth's surface of stratospheric O <subscript>3</subscript> depletion caused by nearby supernovae known to have occurred about 2.5 and 8 million years ago at about 50 pc distance. New and previously published atmospheric chemistry modeling results were combined with radiative transfer modeling to determine changes in surface-level solar irradiance and biological responses. We find that UVB irradiance is increased by a factor of 1.1 to 2.8, with large variation in latitude, and seasonally at high-latitude regions. Changes in UVA and PAR (visible light) are much smaller. DNA damage (in vitro) is increased by factors similar to UVB, while other biological impacts (erythema, skin cancer, cataracts, marine phytoplankton photosynthesis inhibition, and plant damage) are increased by smaller amounts. We conclude that biological impacts due to increased UV irradiance in this SN case are not mass-extinction level but might be expected to contribute to changes in species abundances; this result fits well with species turnover observed around the Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary. Key Words: UV radiation-Supernovae-Ozone-Radiative transfer. Astrobiology 18, 481-490.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1557-8070
Volume :
18
Issue :
5
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Astrobiology
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
29283671
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1089/ast.2017.1730