Slashdot Mirror
Our Atmosphere Is Leaking Oxygen and Scientists Don't Know Why (gizmodo.com)
The Earth's atmosphere has been leaking oxygen and scientists don't know why. Researchers discovered that over the past 800,000 years, atmospheric oxygen levels have dropped by 0.7 percent. How exactly did they discover the leak? By observing ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica, which contain trapped air bubbles representing snapshots of our atmosphere over the past million-odd years. Gizmodo reports: By examining the ratio of oxygen to nitrogen isotopes within these cores, the researchers were able to pull out a trend: oxygen levels have fallen by 0.7 percent over the past 800,000 years, meaning sinks are roughly 2 percent larger than sources. Writing today in Science, the researchers offer a few possible explanations. For one, erosion rates appear to have sped up in recent geologic history, causing more fresh sediment to be exposed and oxidized by the atmosphere, causing more oxygen to be consumed. Long-term climate change could also be responsible. Recent human-induced warming aside, our planet's average temperature had been declining a bit over the past few million years. [Princeton University geologist Daniel Stolper] added that there could be other explanations, too, and figuring out which is correct could prove quite challenging. But learning what controls the knobs in our planet's oxygen cycle is worth the effort. It could help us understand what makes a planet habitable at all -- something scientists are rather keen on, given recent exoplanet discoveries. Stolper's analysis excluded one very unusual part of the record: the last 200 years of industrial human society. "We are consuming O2 at a rate a factor of a thousand times faster than before," Stolper said. "Humankind has completely short-circuited the cycle by burning tons of carbon."
The discussion is about the amount of molecular oxygen in the atmosphere you dumb cunt, not the total number of oxygen atoms on the planets. Perhaps your lonely braincell isn't getting enough.
"Forests are responsible for a miniscule portion of oxygen production"
Algae certainly is the main source, but the amount the forests produce definately isn't miniscule.
People always make "doomsday predictions" about any change, whether it's the sexual revolution or climate change.
In reality, the amount of carbon trapped under ice is a small amount compared to other sources, and it would be quickly captured again by the vegetation that would soon grow in those newly temperate areas. So, sorry, no doomsday scenario there, and not even much of a potential for positive feedback.
A Lot species already met their doomsday. A lot of the late one are mainly due to human activities. We may well fall victim of our own stupidity.
>it would be quickly captured again by the vegetation that would soon grow
Nope. You need for that to be significant to re-convert agricultural land to forest (trees are the greatest CO2 trapping plants). And bad luck, those agricultural land are needed to feed peoples.
Which is fine, depending on how fast we get there.
It's like this: you're standing on the balcony of your Miami hotel room. It's on the top floor. It's a warm summer night and you look down at the pool. A dip would be just the thing, so you put on your bathing suit and take the elevator down to the ground level. Refreshment accomplished.
Now imagine the same scenario, only you decide to dive off your balcony into the pool. You've traveled exactly the same vertical distance, but the rate at which you did it (well, technically the rate at which you stopped doing it), made a difference.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
Because if not, there is no way I can see that "leaked" is the right word.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'