Marine phosphorus and atmospheric oxygen were coupled during the Great Oxidation Event

The Great Oxidation Event (GOE) represents a major increase in atmospheric O2 concentration between ca. 2430 and 2060 million years ago, culminating in the permanent shift to an oxygenated atmosphere. It’s causes remain debated. Here we use the carbonate-associated phosphate (CAP) proxy to reconstruct oceanic phosphorus concentrations during the GOE from globally distributed sedimentary rocks. We find that the CAP and the inorganic carbon isotope composition of marine sediments co-varied during the GOE, suggesting synchronous fluctuations in marine phosphorus, biological productivity, and atmospheric O₂. Biogeochemical modelling shows that transient increases in P bioavailability can raise oxygenic primary production and organic carbon burial, yielding isotopically heavy seawater inorganic carbon and reproducing the observed patterns. Consequently, geochemical and modelling data together suggest that P availability was a likely contributor to the rapid oxygenation of Earth during the GOE.