Although making up only 21% of the atmosphere, oxygen is the most important gas for the existence of living things on Earth. From this fact, have you ever wondered what we would inherit if oxygen levels were doubled on Earth?
Earth was born in 4.6 billion years. After the Big Bang, the Earth was initially formed into a “big fireball” that was continuously burned, after 1.1 billion years of cooling, life on Earth began to gradually be born, gas book was also initially formed.
When the new atmosphere was formed, its composition was devoid of oxygen, the atmosphere was initially filled with gases such as ammonia and methane, the oxygen in the atmosphere that was produced then mainly came from two aspects, one was the plants involved. photosynthesis and the second is the participation of abiotic in the photolysis of water.
Now, we all know that the oxygen content in the air is about 21%, and the oxygen content is very important for humans or other living things. In an oxygen-deficient environment, humans can’t even breathe normally.
So what if the amount of oxygen on Earth suddenly doubled – about 40% of the oxygen in the air?
Here are the biggest effects that when oxygen levels rise dramatically on our planet.
In an oxygen-deficient environment, humans can’t even breathe normally. (Illustration).
If the oxygen content on Earth was only doubled, then in the environment the oxygen concentration would correspond to an oxygen content of 31% to 52% , although the human body can adapt slowly but the damage is unpredictable. will definitely appear over time.
Spiders, cockroaches and many other scary reptiles that always make us terrify will grow larger and larger in size. These tiny creatures breathe through tiny tubes called windpipes, so as more and more oxygen passes through these tubes, their bodies become more and more “bulky” and grow in size. Dragonflies will then be as big as a hawk, while spiders will be big enough to swallow a pigeon.
However, you don’t need to worry about your safety from these monsters because you will always get rid of them in time. Because more oxygen is supplied to the lungs, with each breath, your endurance is increased significantly. Oxygen-rich blood will be pumped through the veins to provide energy to the muscles, and if the blood is circulated better, the person will be more agile and focused. Athletes’ track record will be improved “at lightning speed”, breaking previous world records so that new ones can be set in the future of the oxygen-rich world.
Inhaling twice the amount of oxygen as currently, the track record of athletes will be improved “brightly”.
Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell that make an important contribution to the human immune system by using oxygen to fight disease. These cells will increase the resistance to viruses and harmful bacteria due to the more oxygen provided, so we are less likely to get sick and have a fever.
Despite bringing so many benefits, excess oxygen will also drag down your health status. If the organs in the body are overworked by absorbing too much oxygen, you are prone to exhaustion and have serious life-related consequences. Fatigue deaths are now more common than deaths from illness.
If oxygen levels were doubled on Earth, the most noticeable changes would be the acceleration of processes such as respiration and combustion . As more oxygen is present, forest fires will become larger and more destructive; Not even moist vegetation can become a “shield” . Everything is more prone to burning.
At the same time, processes such as photosynthesis will be delayed due to lower atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Existing green vegetation will give way to a prehistoric landscape of moss and mushrooms.
If oxygen levels were to double, living at such altitude would no longer have any serious problems.
For backpackers and backpackers who dream of castles above the clouds, or living on the highest peaks, the low oxygen levels at the top always make the journey arduous. However, from a more optimistic perspective, if oxygen levels were to double in the atmosphere, respiratory problems would be the least common and living at such altitude would no longer have any problems. What a serious matter.
This soon led to humans taking over mountainous areas and turning them into habitable areas for people, ultimately degrading natural formations and soil quality. The ice on the mountain peaks will melt significantly while habitat for plants and animals will thrive there.
Higher oxygen levels help birds fly higher in the sky and fly for longer periods of time.
As the concentration of oxygen increases, the density of the air in the atmosphere will also increase. This will allow planes, gliders, parachutes and birds to fly higher in the sky and fly for longer periods of time. The higher oxygen concentration will also create a thicker atmosphere, which scatters more sunlight, makes the sky look bluer, and lowers the air temperature.
Oxygen in the fuel improves engine performance by reducing the amount of nitrogen entering the engine, causing the engine to heat up. If the heat is less, performance is improved and fuel consumption is reduced. This phenomenon will certainly lead to a more positive future for the auto industry and machinery in the world.
However, if more fuel is burned, the machine will emit more emissions, eventually crippling the atmosphere.
If we look through history, we will see that the consequences often follow the seemingly positive situation. The benefits of doubling Earth’s oxygen may sound tempting, but we’ll have to pay the price with a shorter life span and a more unpredictable planetary outlook.
Today, there is a complete chain of connections between living things. The sudden increase in oxygen levels will make many organisms unable to adapt to this environment, leading to biological extinction . And if there was a biological extinction, it would lead to a chain reaction, eventually leading to mass extinction. This process will continue until a new stable chain is formed again.
Not to mention, if oxygen levels double suddenly, the most serious consequence is an environmental imbalance. Since oxygen is a substance that accelerates combustion, as the oxygen content increases, the combustion process becomes easier and more intense.
In this process, once a forest fire occurs, it burns more intensely and is more difficult to extinguish. The end of the era of giant insects 300 million years ago also has a lot to do with the global fires that occurred at that time.
Due to the oxygen-rich environment, which is fueled by forests that cover the planet, the fires have burned for hundreds of years. It eventually led to a sharp increase in the Earth’s temperature and caused a mass extinction. After that, the oxygen content also dropped rapidly, eventually leading to the rise of reptiles and the beginning of the age of dinosaurs on Earth.
We should feel lucky that our planet is in perfect balance. While only 21% of Oxygen sounds low considering the billions of people who share the same suffocating air, you now know how dangerous life would be if the universe changed to zero. gas on Earth!