The Doom of the Earth, or do I need help?

[Ancalagon]

Today I have realized that there is a hidden threat from fossil fuels that no one has considered.

When fossil fuel burn, they release CO2. This traps oxygen, but that's ok, because plants can reverse the process.

However, HYDROcarbon contain hydrogen. Their combustion also releases water vapor, ie H20. This also traps oxygen, but there is no natural process reversing this!

I have then calculated the annual fossil fuel consumption, estimated the related hydrogen related oxygen consumption, and compared this amount to the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere. At current rates, it would take about 80 000 year to consume all the oxygen. Admittedly, this is more of an order of magnitude estimation than anything else, but I think that we can relegate this problem to the "long term" category.

sometimes, I can't tell if I'm brilliant or cracked.

[Brynja]

why cant it be both Obs?

[Schizm]

Did you take into account the outgassing of volcanos? Plenty of Oxygen (and other nasty shit too) there!

[Pigs in Space]

Pretty sure there is a natural process for reducing water vapour in the air.

Pretty sure about that.

[Ancalagon]

No I did not Schizm...

Pretty sure there is a natural process for reducing water vapour in the air.

Pretty sure about that.

I hope you don't mean rain here, because if so, I'll have to smack you.

[Pigs in Space]

No I did not Schizm...



I hope you don't mean rain here, because if so, I'll have to smack you.

I did. :eek:

[Limper]

Your paranoia is limitless Sir.

[Name Lips]

I didn't get the feeling he was worried about the excess H2O, but that he was worried about all the free molecular oxygen getting "trapped" in water molecules so we would have nothing left to breathe.

[The Winslow]

Hydrolise isn't that hard, people.

[bunny]

Bah. This is all irrelevant. When the sharks go extinct and all the herbivore fishies eat up all the plants that produce most of the earth's oxygen, none of it will matter.

[Ancalagon]

Hydrolise isn't that hard, people.

No, it only requires energy... energy we can get burning more oil! YAY!

:what:

And what about all that hydrogen injected in the atmosphere by this process, mr smarty pants?

It's because of people like you that our grand, grand, (insert about 2666 grans here) children won't have any oxygen to breathe!

[The Winslow]

No, it only requires energy... energy we can get burning more oil! YAY!

:what:

A solar panel and two electrodes. No oil burnt.

[Varaj]

However, HYDROcarbon contain hydrogen. Their combustion also releases water vapor, ie H20. This also traps oxygen, but there is no natural process reversing this!

Are you 100% sure of that?

[Name Lips]

Are you 100% sure of that?

No, he's not. :tongue:

The Oxygen Cycle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxygen_cycle)

[Ancalagon]

aaah... I was thinking as a biologist - there are no large scale processes that are biologically driven that do this.

Hmmm... getting the answer to my question is going to be a lot harder than I thought.

[Limper]

More carbon means more plants life abounds... least thats how it worked on a planetary scale in the past.

Carboniferous period part 2 would be the result of you fears and although it would be very dangerous as more oxygen got pumped into the air (fires would be common and lightning far more dangerous than currently) at least we could breath.

There is a biological solution and that is where there is 'food/energy' life moves in to take advantage of it.

[TiQuinn]

This thread is making me feel dumb. Can you please talk about bovine farts or comic books or something?

[The Winslow]

This thread is making me feel dumb. Can you please talk about bovine farts or comic books or something?

What about drawing the adventures of Captain Cowgas?

[Megamieuwsel]

Now that limper mentions it;
Lighting "creates" a moticable amount of ozone.
Which happens to be Oxigen and not too stable(iirc)
Not sure if this is done by using free oxigen or electrolysis of water-vapour in the air.

If the latter is the case, there you have a fairlly common mechanic for it, but wether it really makes a dent...
Dunno.

Lots of "IF"s...

[Ancalagon]

I think my dreams of publishing in the Annals of Improbable Research have just went out the window.

[Bagpuss]

What do fish (and other marine organisms) breath out, because they extract oxygen from water don't they? If they release carbon dioxide where does that go? If into the air then you are back to your plant life converting that to oxygen again.

[Name Lips]

Fish do exhale CO2. It passes into the water from their gills, just like their gills extract O2 from the water. Both gasses are dissolved in the water and invisible to us.