ISSN:
1573-0875
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Geosciences
Notes:
Abstract The ultimate source of the energy utilized by life on Earth is the Sun, and the behavior of the Sun determines to a large extent the conditions under which life originated and continues to thrive. What can we say about the history of the Sun? Has the solar ‘constant’, the rate at which energy is received by the Earth from the Sun per unit area per unit time, been constant at its present level since Archean times? Three mechanisms by which it has been suggested that the solar energy output can vary with time will be discussed, characterized by long (∼109 yr), intermediate (∼108 yr), and short (∼ years to decades) time scales.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00928661
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