Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => The Environment => Topic started by: Joe L. Ogan on 15/12/2009 14:07:59
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We are losing Oxygen from our Atmosphere? How Much? Is it contributing to Global Warming? Thanks for comments. Joe L. Ogan
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We are losing Oxygen from our Atmosphere? How Much? Is it contributing to Global Warming? Thanks for comments. Joe L. Ogan
This is one way oxygen is lost:
K. Seki,et al "On Atmospheric Loss of Oxygen Ions from Earth Through Magnetospheric Processes" Science 9 March 2001:Vol. 291.
Abstract: In Earth's environment, the observed polar outflow rate for O+ ions, the main source of oxygen above gravitational escape energy, corresponds to the loss of ~18% of the present-day atmospheric oxygen over 3 billion years. However, part of this apparent loss can actually be returned to the atmosphere. Examining loss rates of four escape routes with high-altitude spacecraft observations, we show that the total oxygen loss rate inferred from current knowledge is about one order of magnitude smaller than the polar O+ outflow rate. This disagreement suggests that there may be a substantial return flux from the magnetosphere to the low-latitude ionosphere. Then the net oxygen loss over 3 billion years drops to ~2% of the current atmospheric oxygen content.
I am not aware of any current significant change in oxygen concentrations, nor would these have any significant impact on global warming.
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The loss of oxygen corresponds to the rise in CO2- a change of about 50ppm is significant compared to the background level of CO2 (about 280 ppm) bu not compared to the background level of oxygen (about 210000 ppm).
In any event oxygen isn't a greeenhouse gas so it has no contributuion to global warming (ozone is another matter).
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I agree but Oxygen does cool and loss may contribute to a rise in temperature but I doubt that it would be significant. Thanks, Joe L. Ogan