Abstract
The scarcity of noble gases on earth, compared to cosmic abundance, constitutes powerful evidence that the earth was formed without an atmosphere and that the atmosphere has evolved by release of gases from the earth’s interior. These gases consisted mainly of carbon dioxide and water vapor, and they contained no free oxygen. The water vapor has gone mainly to form the oceans, and the carbon dioxide has gone mainly into carbonate rocks, and a minor consituent, nitrogen, remains the principal atmospheric constituent. Oxygen has been released mainly by photosynthesis, which involves the consumption of carbon dioxide. Most photosynthesis does not make a lasting contribution to atmospheric oxygen, because the products of photosynthesis undergo decay and oxidation, consuming as much oxygen as was produced in their production. A small fraction (about 10−4) of the products of photosynthesis escapes decay and provides a lasting contribution to atmospheric oxygen. This natural conversion of carbon dioxide from the earth’s interior to oxygen is completely overwhelmed today, by a factor near 103, by the burning of fossil fuels, and the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere is therefore increasing at a relatively rapid rate. Though detailed studies are lacking, the possibility exists that world climate may be affected. The risk of a serious perturbation appears small, but the problem is only poorly understood and the confidence level in such a prediction is low.
This research was supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under grant NGL 44-004-001.
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© 1970 D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Holland
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Johnson, F.S. (1970). The Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide Balance in the Earth’s Atmosphere. In: Singer, S.F. (eds) Global Effects of Environmental Pollution. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-3290-2_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-3290-2_2
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