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That would be a catastrophe. Basically all oxygen in the atmosphere is a result of photosynthesis, which (combined with animals breathing) is a closed cycle (ed
by tomp 7y ago
That would be a catastrophe. Basically all oxygen in the atmosphere is a result of photosynthesis, which (combined with animals breathing) is a closed cycle (edit: in terms of mass, not energy) unless some of the resulting biomass (glucose) is buried underground (as oil and/or coal). Digging up and burning all fossil fuels would consume all oxygen in the atmosphere... let's hope that at least some of it is buried so deep and/or so inaccessible that we don't manage to dig and burn it up!
- thehappypm 7y agoYou are spreading fake news. There is far more oxygen in the atmosphere than can be burned by fossil fuels. https://www.popsci.com/amy-geppert/article/2008-09/will-we-run-out-breathable-oxygen-if-we-produce-too-much-carbon-dioxide/ https://www.popsci.com/amy-geppert/article/2008-09/will-we-r...
- JumpCrisscross 7y ago> Digging up and burning all fossil fuels would consume all oxygen in the atmosphere No, it wouldn’t. Not all biomass turns into fossil fuels. And a lot of carbon is stored in living and recently-deceased biomass.
- Turing_Machine 7y agoEven more of the Earth's original carbon is stored in the miles-deep layers of carbonate rocks that cover much of the Earth's surface.
- samatman 7y agoPhotosynthesis is an open cycle, powered by the nuclear fusion reactor at the heart of the Solar System.
- adrianN 7y agoThe carbon cycle includes geological processes, so your premise of a closed loop that only involves living things is wrong.