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Influence of ancient solar-proton events on the evolution of life

Nature volume 259, pages 177–179 (1976)Cite this article

Abstract

There is mounting evidence that past extinctions of faunal species have occurred in near coincidence with reversals in polarity of the geomagnetic field. Could the link lie in catastrophic depletions of stratospheric ozone caused by solar-proton irradiation over a reduced geomagnetic field?

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aeronomy Laboratory, NOAA Environmental Research Laboratories, Boulder

    G. C. Reid & I. S. A. Isaksen

  2. High Altitude Observatory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder

    T. E. Holzer

  3. Aeronomy Laboratory, NOAA Enviromental Research Laboratories and National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, 80302

    P. J. Crutzen

  4. On leave from the Institute of Geophysics, University of Oslo,

    I. S. A. Isaksen

Authors
  1. G. C. Reid
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  2. I. S. A. Isaksen
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  3. T. E. Holzer
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  4. P. J. Crutzen
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Reid, G., Isaksen, I., Holzer, T. et al. Influence of ancient solar-proton events on the evolution of life. Nature 259, 177–179 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/259177a0

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