Short-term Effects of Gamma Ray Bursts on Earth

Abstract

The aim of the present work is to study the potential short-term atmospheric and biospheric influence of Gamma Ray Bursts on the Earth. We focus in the ultraviolet flash at the planet's surface, which occurs as a result of the retransmission of the $\gamma$ radiation through the atmosphere. This would be the only important short-term effect on life. We mostly consider Archean and Proterozoic eons, and for completeness we also comment on the Phanerozoic. Therefore, in our study we consider atmospheres with oxygen levels ranging from $10^{-5}$ to 1% of the present atmospheric level, representing different moments in the oxygen rise history. Ecological consequences and some strategies to estimate their importance are outlined.

13 pp., to appear in Astrophysics and Space Science

References in corpus (1)

• Habitat of early life: Solar X-ray and UV radiation at Earth's surface 4-3.5 billion years ago

Cited by in corpus (11)

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• Ozone depletion-induced climate change following a 50 pc supernova
• Influence of a Galactic Gamma-Ray Burst on Ocean Plankton
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