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Post by Otto Kretschmer on Jul 17, 2024 17:25:07 GMT
What would be the consequences for Earth and life on it if oxygen content in the atmosphere increased to 31% between 1 mln and 900,000 years ago, i.e. over a span of 100,000 years?
Hoow would Earth and life on it look like today, i.e. 900,000 years after the oxygen content stabilized at 31%?
Just initial thoughts: 1. Fires would be more common and more devastating. Fire resistant plants would be more common 2. Insects and other arthropods would grow significantly larger. 3. Oxygen is a greenhouse gas so temperatures would be at least slightly higher 4. More oxygen in the air means more oxygdn dissolved in ocean water, which might mean richer marine life 5. As for humans, several things: a. More oxygen might mean more endurance (longer running) so possibly, earlier dispersal of humans around the world b. More oxygen in the atmosphere means more oxygen available for the brain which in turn might accelerate the trend of higher brain volumes.
Any ideas?vAt least for hominids, 900,000 years ago is the time of late Homo erectus so there is plenty of room for evolutionary divergence.
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michelvan
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Post by michelvan on Jul 19, 2024 16:05:17 GMT
I wonder if 31% Oxygen level let to rise of Mega Fauna, mean very very big animals.
Wildfire would on This Earth major global disaster
and i have to replace fly swat with Shotgun...
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Post by raharris1973 on Jul 26, 2024 2:05:59 GMT
bigger brained humans with higher intellectual and computing performance, co-evolving on an African continent with larger prey and predator mammals who also get cleverer with increased proportionate brain size - elephants, lions, hyenas, other great apes, etc.
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Jul 26, 2024 10:33:12 GMT
Are we assuming that the ASB responsible for this maintains the increased oxygen levels until the present day? If not then its likely that the boost will be short lived. The increased oxygen levels will as you say generate a lot more fires and also other chemical reactions so your likely to have most of the increased oxygen combined into assorted chemical molecules, quite possibly within a few thousand years.
If the level is maintained by some means then two questions come to mind. a) Where is this oxygen coming from? Is it being generated 'supernaturally' in some way or 'imported' from outside or is some process set up to break down oxides to free oxygen molecules as fast as they can be consumed? b) Assuming humanity still develops an intellectual culture with a scientific base then the 1st couple of options in a) above are going to raise serious questions.
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