Question

Difficulty: MediumIdentifying Points of Disagreement

### Origin of Earth's Water

Three scientists discuss the primary origin of Earth's oceans:

*Scientist 1*
Earth's water was primarily delivered by carbonaceous chondrite meteorites during the late accretion phase, after the planet's core had fully formed. The primary evidence for this is the deuterium-to-hydrogen (D/HD/H) ratio of Earth's ocean water, which closely matches that of carbonaceous chondrites. In contrast, most comets have a D/HD/H ratio that is nearly twice as high as that of Earth's oceans, making them an unlikely source.

*Scientist 2*
Earth's water originated from the adsorption of solar nebula gas onto silicate dust grains during the planet's initial accretion. As Earth grew, this water was trapped in the mantle and later released to the surface through volcanic outgassing. The matching D/HD/H ratio of chondrites is a coincidence; deep-mantle rocks show a much lower D/HD/H ratio, indicating a primordial nebular origin.

*Scientist 3*
Comets from the outer solar system were the primary source of Earth's water. During the late heavy bombardment period, intense cometary impacts delivered volatile-rich ice. While early measurements showed high D/HD/H ratios for comets, recent data from Jupiter-family comets show D/HD/H ratios identical to Earth's oceans. Since comets are composed almost entirely of ice, they are a far more efficient delivery mechanism than rocky chondrites.

Based on the viewpoints of Scientists 1, 2, and 3, match each point of disagreement to the description of the scientists who hold conflicting views on that topic.

  • Whether comets are a viable source of Earth's water based on their deuterium-to-hydrogen (D/HD/H) ratios.Scientist 1 and Scientist 3 hold opposing views on this point.
  • Whether Earth's water was primarily accumulated during the planet's early formation or during a subsequent bombardment stage.Scientist 2 holds an opposing view to both Scientist 1 and Scientist 3 on this point.
  • Whether the D/HD/H ratio of Earth's surface oceans represents the planet's primordial water signature.Scientist 1 and Scientist 2 hold opposing views on this point.

Answer

The correct pairings are: (1) whether comets are a viable source based on D/HD/H ratios matches the disagreement between Scientist 1 and Scientist 3; (2) whether water accumulated early or late matches Scientist 2 holding an opposing view to both Scientist 1 and Scientist 3; (3) whether surface ocean D/HD/H ratios represent primordial water matches the disagreement between Scientist 1 and Scientist 2.
The correct matches align each specific point of disagreement with the corresponding scientists' stances: the dispute over comets as a water source based on D/HD/H ratios is a direct disagreement between Scientist 1 (who rejects comets due to high ratios) and Scientist 3 (who supports comets due to matching Jupiter-family comet ratios); the timing of water delivery is a point where Scientist 2 (early accretion) disagrees with both Scientist 1 and Scientist 3 (who both argue for late-stage delivery via chondrites or bombardment); the representative nature of the surface ocean D/HD/H ratio is a point of contention between Scientist 1 (who bases their model on the ocean ratio matching chondrites) and Scientist 2 (who views the ocean ratio as a coincidence and points to deep-mantle rocks instead).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the core assertion of each scientist regarding the timing of Earth's water delivery.
Scientist 1 and Scientist 3 both argue for late-stage delivery (late accretion and late heavy bombardment, respectively), while Scientist 2 argues for early delivery (initial accretion).
This allows identification of the timing of water accumulation as a point where Scientist 2 opposes both Scientist 1 and Scientist 3.
2
Examine each scientist's stance on the viability of comets as a water source based on D/HD/H ratios.
Scientist 1 argues comet D/HD/H ratios are too high to match Earth's oceans, whereas Scientist 3 argues Jupiter-family comets have matching D/HD/H ratios.
This identifies the viability of comets based on D/HD/H ratios as the key point of disagreement between Scientist 1 and Scientist 3.
3
Examine each scientist's stance on whether the D/HD/H ratio of surface oceans represents the planet's primordial water.
Scientist 1 uses the matching surface ocean D/HD/H ratio as primary evidence of the water's origin, whereas Scientist 2 claims this surface match is a coincidence and that deep-mantle rocks show the true primordial D/HD/H signature.
This identifies the representativeness of surface ocean D/HD/H ratios as the point of disagreement between Scientist 1 and Scientist 2.

Key Concept

Identifying Points of Disagreement
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