Life altering our planet

[Old Rocks]

A constant meme with the willfully ignorant on this board is how man is just to small to have any effects on the planet. Yet we owe our atmosphere as it exists today to something far smaller than man. And there are massive rock formations that the direct result of that small life form.

In the beginning, a couple of billion years ago, the atmosphere was mainly CO2 and N2. But as the bluegreen algea proliferated, it turned the CO2 into plant material and free oxygen. However, before the oxygen could get out of the oceans, it had to convert the dissolved iron in the ocean into iron oxide, laying down the massive iron ore beds around the world. Then, when the ocean water was devoid of iron, the oxygen bubbled out of the ocean into the atmosphere. The now oxygenated ocean could provide energy that multi-cellular life needs to survive. And, in time, as the atmosphere became richer in O2, that live moved onto land.

We can see this clearly in the biological record, yet we still have people that repeat the ridiculous meme that man is just too small to affect our atmosphere or planet. Willful ignorance at it's worst.

 

[flacaltenn]

A constant meme with the willfully ignorant on this board is how man is just to small to have any effects on the planet. Yet we owe our atmosphere as it exists today to something far smaller than man. And there are massive rock formations that the direct result of that small life form.

In the beginning, a couple of billion years ago, the atmosphere was mainly CO2 and N2. But as the bluegreen algea proliferated, it turned the CO2 into plant material and free oxygen. However, before the oxygen could get out of the oceans, it had to convert the dissolved iron in the ocean into iron oxide, laying down the massive iron ore beds around the world. Then, when the ocean water was devoid of iron, the oxygen bubbled out of the ocean into the atmosphere. The now oxygenated ocean could provide energy that multi-cellular life needs to survive. And, in time, as the atmosphere became richer in O2, that live moved onto land.

We can see this clearly in the biological record, yet we still have people that repeat the ridiculous meme that man is just too small to affect our atmosphere or planet. Willful ignorance at it's worst.

Sure -- strength in numbers. I get it. For instance TERMITES as one species DOMINATES the CO2/Methane contributions for their size/weight class. If we weren't killing termites -- they might become the bigger threat to GW.

 

[flacaltenn]

I remember reading somewhere that for every human on the planet there was about 1000lbs of termites.
Now THERE is a BIG carbon footprint.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Blue-green algea is smaller than man, therefore global warming.

Wow.

"This new learning amazes me..."

 

[Crick]

I thought we had this out before. Respiration among plants and animals is a cycle. The cycle neither adds nor subtracts from atmospheric levels. If plants were increasing at the rate at which our combustion of fossil fuel increased, you might have something. But, they are going in the opposite direction. We lose.

 

[flacaltenn]

I thought we had this out before. Respiration among plants and animals is a cycle. The cycle neither adds nor subtracts from atmospheric levels. If plants were increasing at the rate at which our combustion of fossil fuel increased, you might have something. But, they are going in the opposite direction. We lose.

Reeeally? Well let's chat about the "accounting" for this natural cycle. Why do you suppose it is that MAN gets charged for domesticated cattle? They simply replaced the massive herds of buffalo, deer, elk and other species that outnumbered them before our influence. Yet --- we get maligned for being carnivores and CHARGED in our emissions for cow farts. Are not cow farts --- natural?

And fossil fuel. Is that not just recycling past life on the planet? What's the diff between termites decomposing a 400 yr old forest and us burning very old vegetation in the form of coal? Answer -- we are better diggers.

In this natural cycle, Nature makes no accounting for the age of CO2. Our Nat Gas emissions are virtually indisguishable from what the oceans cough up from NATURAL hydrates at it's floor. Age is almost identical. Maybe OLDER in some natural ocean/land seeps.

So if ONE SPECIES -- the 1000lb termite , accounts for 5 to 10% of MAN's emissions, I think that's VERY relevant to the full accounting. And I want an immediate audit review on the cattle charges.

 

[flacaltenn]

Gee.. UN HATES cow farts. Says this "MANMADE" cow problem contribution is 18% LARGER in GHouse effect than mans' entire transportation sector. Don't tell me we don't need NEW accountants on this.


Livestock a major threat to environment

 

[CrusaderFrank]

How much do we have to reduce CO2 to get Earth back to "Normal"?

 

[flacaltenn]

How much do we have to reduce CO2 to get Earth back to "Normal"?

Well --IMO -- we ARE warming it a bit with emissions. Earth has had "emissions" before man arrived.
It's just that man isn't driving the climate "to extremes". Because we haven't honestly evaluated natural variation in a complex system.

So -- it wouldn't HURT to think about taking opportunities to reduce GHouse gases. Just shouldn't be a blank check to politics and 3rd world redistribution..

 

[miketx]

The stupid never stops. Our atmo is 4 billion years old, and these idiots base all this "fact" on about 150 years worth of questionable data.

 

[flacaltenn]

The stupid never stops. Our atmo is 4 billion years old, and these idiots base all this "fact" on about 150 years worth of questionable data.

You might be actually OVER estimating how long there's been "good data". Only had space based instruments worth a darn for about 40 years. And many of "natural variations" have periods up to a couple hundred years.

Some measurements can only be accurately done from space. At least for the accuracy needed to find signatures of Global Warming. And the oceans are getting instrumentation, but it's all very recent..

Then you have the DAILY revisions of the "good" data from the 1930's and 40's that NASA / NOAA are STILL screwing with..

 

[miketx]

The stupid never stops. Our atmo is 4 billion years old, and these idiots base all this "fact" on about 150 years worth of questionable data.

You might be actually OVER estimating how long there's been "good data". Only had space based instruments worth a darn for about 40 years. And many of "natural variations" have periods up to a couple hundred years.

Some measurements can only be accurately done from space. At least for the accuracy needed to find signatures of Global Warming. And the oceans are getting instrumentation, but it's all very recent..

Then you have the DAILY revisions of the "good" data from the 1930's and 40's that NASA / NOAA are STILL screwing with..

You're correct. I did of course use the word questionable.

 

[flacaltenn]

The stupid never stops. Our atmo is 4 billion years old, and these idiots base all this "fact" on about 150 years worth of questionable data.

You might be actually OVER estimating how long there's been "good data". Only had space based instruments worth a darn for about 40 years. And many of "natural variations" have periods up to a couple hundred years.

Some measurements can only be accurately done from space. At least for the accuracy needed to find signatures of Global Warming. And the oceans are getting instrumentation, but it's all very recent..

Then you have the DAILY revisions of the "good" data from the 1930's and 40's that NASA / NOAA are STILL screwing with..

You're correct. I did of course use the word questionable.

OK --- Full credit for "questionable" then..

 

[Old Rocks]

We change the CO2 load in the atmosphere from 280 ppm to 400+ ppm, and you think that nothing is going to happen? The difference between deep in an ice age and the interglacial was only 180 ppm to 280 ppm. And the CH4 has gone from 700-800 ppb to over 1800 ppb.

We have just had three years of record temperatures. And the sea ice at both poles is below the three standard deviation line.

We have created a climate change. We, the little humans on this planet.

And, Mr. Flacaltenn, that diversion about the termites is about freshmen level logic. The termites have been here the whole of this interglacial. And have not changed the GHG levels for either CO2 or CH4.