3 ms·

Much of it is coming from the carbon in fossilized remains of a time when there was much more O2 in the atmosphere because there was so much flora and a warmer

Much of it is coming from the carbon in fossilized remains of a time when there was much more O2 in the atmosphere because there was so much flora and a warmer planet... what am I missing? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geological_history_of_oxygen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geological_history_of_oxygen

marcosdumay 3y ago
Ok, now tell me where the O2 in CO2 comes from. And where it goes after a plant captures the carbon. Now read the original comment again. Did you notice the problem? That wiki page is surprisingly unhelpful. The O2 on the atmosphere mostly doesn't come or go anywhere, but on geological timescales it is mostly created from water and absorbed by rocks. The phenomenon that entire page is about stopped billions of years ago.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- Grimblewald 3y ago
  Much oxygen also gets trapped in the oxidization of things. Its pretty prolific, and part of why antioxidants in our food are considered so important. While some species of microorganism exist which might be able to help recover much of this oxygen with the right environment (e.g. the hot CO2 heavy and thus acidic water heavy environment we're creating) it might not be a realistically useful amount over time, or in time.
Grimblewald 3y ago
when we burn long carbon chains, these are broken up and combined with atmospheric oxygen to form CO2, so any CO2 we produce through burning carbon sources we dig up actually reduces O2 availability. However, a CO2 boom might free up oxygen from other molecules in an indirect way. CO2 dissolved in water forms carbonic acid, this increase in acidity is good for species like Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, which will help recover much of the oxygen trapped in complexes like iron oxide. Or everything goes to hell in a handbasket and earth looks like mars in a few thousand years. Who knows.

marcosdumay 3y ago

Ok, now tell me where the O2 in CO2 comes from. And where it goes after a plant captures the carbon. Now read the original comment again. Did you notice the problem? That wiki page is surprisingly unhelpful. The O2 on the atmosphere mostly doesn't come or go anywhere, but on geological timescales it is mostly created from water and absorbed by rocks. The phenomenon that entire page is about stopped billions of years ago.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
Grimblewald 3y ago
Much oxygen also gets trapped in the oxidization of things. Its pretty prolific, and part of why antioxidants in our food are considered so important. While some species of microorganism exist which might be able to help recover much of this oxygen with the right environment (e.g. the hot CO2 heavy and thus acidic water heavy environment we're creating) it might not be a realistically useful amount over time, or in time.

Grimblewald 3y ago

when we burn long carbon chains, these are broken up and combined with atmospheric oxygen to form CO2, so any CO2 we produce through burning carbon sources we dig up actually reduces O2 availability. However, a CO2 boom might free up oxygen from other molecules in an indirect way. CO2 dissolved in water forms carbonic acid, this increase in acidity is good for species like Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, which will help recover much of the oxygen trapped in complexes like iron oxide. Or everything goes to hell in a handbasket and earth looks like mars in a few thousand years. Who knows.