A Blue Origin: Scientists Float New Theory About Earth's Water Supply

For life to flourish on Earth, it requires plenty of water. For water to exist on Earth, it requires plenty of hydrogen. But where did all Earth’s hydrogen come from? Scientists have a new theory.

Experts have long believed that Earth’s hydrogen came from asteroids that slammed into the planet. But a study out of Oxford University in the UK has a new theory.  

"We now think that the material that built our planet … was far richer in hydrogen than we thought,” study co-author James Bryson told Physorg. He's a professor of Earth Science at Oxford. 

Oddly enough, the research team relied on meteors to find that Earth’s hydrogen didn’t come from rocks slamming into its surface. They published their study in the journal Icarus. They studied enstatite chondrite. It is a rare type of meteor. It's made of material that is very similar to what Earth was like in its very early years. Earth formed about 4.55 billion years ago.     

Bryson's team found that enstatite chondrite contains large amounts of hydrogen. That suggests that Earth may have also had enough of its own supply of hydrogen to create the world's water.  

Study lead Tom Barrett said the findings "support the theory that water on Earth is native." That would mean, he added, "it is a natural outcome of what our planet is made of."    

Reflect: How do you think new discoveries about Earth's past can change the way we think about its future?

Photo of drop of water from Unsplash courtesy of Jimmy Chang.