Share

Mystery of where Earth's water came from deepens

accreditation
Where did Earth's water come from?
Where did Earth's water come from?
Shutterstock


The mystery of where Earth's water came from got murkier recently when some astronomers essentially eliminated one of the chief suspects: comets.

Read: How is dehydration treated?

Over the past few months, the European Space Agency's Rosetta space probe closely examined the type of comet that some scientists theorised could have brought water to our planet 4 billion years ago.

It found water, but the wrong kind.

Comet's water contains more of a hydrogen isotope

It was too heavy. One of the first scientific studies from the Rosetta mission found that the comet's water contains more of a hydrogen isotope called deuterium than water on Earth does.

"The question is who brought this water: Was it comets or was it something else?" asked Kathrin Altwegg of the University of Bern in Switzerland, lead author of a study published in the journal Science.

Something else, probably asteroids, Altwegg concluded. But others disagree.

Earth had water when it first formed

Many scientists have long believed that Earth had water when it first formed, but that it boiled off, so that the water on the planet now had to have come from an outside source.

The findings from Rosetta's mission to the duck-shaped comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko complicate not just the question of the origin of Earth's water but our understanding of comets.

Until now, scientists pretty much sorted comets into two types: near and far.

Read: Drinking too much water can be dangerous

The near ones, sometimes called the Jupiter family, originally come from the Kuiper Belt outside Neptune and Pluto. The far ones hail from the Oort Cloud, which is much farther out.

In 1986, a spacecraft came within about 400 miles (640 kilometres) of Halley's Comet, an Oort Cloud comet, and analysed its water.

It proved to be heavier than Earth's water. But three years ago, scientists examined the water in a Kuiper Belt comet, Hartley 2, and it was a perfect match for Earth's water, so the comet theory was back, stronger than ever, Altwegg said.

The comet visited by Rosetta is a Kuiper Belt comet, but its water was even heavier than Halley's, Altwegg said.

That shows that Kuiper Belt comets aren't as uniform as thought, and it once again complicates the issue of Earth's water.

Kuiper Belt comets ruled out

"That probably rules out Kuiper Belt comets from bringing water to Earth," she said.

University of Maryland astronomer Michael A'Hearn, who wasn't part of the research, called the results startling but said they don't eliminate comets altogether. The water could have come from other types of Kuiper Belt comets, he said.

NASA Near Earth Object programme manager Donald Yeomans, however, thinks it does pretty much rule out comets.

Read: Coconut water – the ultimate thirst quencher

While asteroids are a good suspect – they probably had more water on them 4 billion years ago than they do now – another possibility is that Earth kept some of its original water in its crust or in ice at the poles, Altwegg said.

Read More:

New US rule to reduce mercury entering water systems
The sun: essential for life on earth
Gases that damage ozone layer found in ice and air

Image: Water conservation in our planet from Shutterstock.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE