5 ms·
I seem to remember the concentration of CO2 necessary for this to be 10-100 times higher than current. Also made worse on Venus by proximity to the Sun and coll
by throwaway5752 7y ago
I seem to remember the concentration of CO2 necessary for this to be 10-100 times higher than current. Also made worse on Venus by proximity to the Sun and collapse of the planetary magnetic field. Essentially, the greater solar wind / radiation flux and holes in magnetosphere disrupts atmospheric H2O and H2 is blown off planet, and O2 oxidizes C next (which then falls into a feedback loop with CO2 and H20 vapor driven greenhouse effect)
I'm extraordinarily concerned about global warming, but it's very likely humanity will kill itself well before it can create a runaway Venusian like greenhouse. I think the concentration of CO2 alone is fatal to human life well before that level.
edit: quick cites https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-runaway-greenhouse/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-r... (30k ppm CO2, disputed), https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/chemical/carbondioxide.htm https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/chemical/carbondioxide.htm (5k ppm CO2 upper limit for workplace exposure)
- TaylorAlexander 7y agoI think a major concern is that a small rise in greenhouse gasses from human activity may result in a large release of greenhouse gasses stored in the earths crust. It is not expected that we would release all the gasses ourselves, but that our emissions would trigger a massive release.
- throwaway5752 7y agoI think the runaway greenhouse effect article accounts for the clathrate gun hypothesis. Not sure residency period of CH4 in the atmosphere would be consistent with the level of heat buildup to get the H20 vapor feedback loop going.