After Oxygen Disappears, a Completely Different Earth Will Be Born. This will be a world filled with methane, low levels of CO2, and no ozone layer.
Currently, life thrives on our oxygen-rich planet, but Earth has not always been like this. Scientists predict that in the future, the atmosphere will revert to a methane-rich and oxygen-poor state.
A different Earth will be produced if there is no more oxygen. (Photo: Getty).
Although this is unlikely to happen for about a billion years, a study published in 2021 suggests that when the change occurs, it will happen rapidly.
According to predictions, this change will return our planet to a state similar to before the Great Oxidation Event (GOE) that occurred around 2.4 billion years ago. At that time, humans and most other oxygen-dependent life forms will reach the “end of the road,” marking an irreversible cycle.
Therefore, scientists hope that humanity will find a way to leave this planet and venture to another place in space before it is too late.
“Model predictions indicate that oxygen in the atmosphere will disappear before widespread loss of surface water occurs, along with the emergence of unusual greenhouse conditions in Earth’s climate system,” researchers stated.
It is known that the origin of this process stems from the change in the Sun’s brightness, leading to a corresponding decrease in carbon dioxide levels as they decompose.
Less carbon dioxide means that flora and some organisms will photosynthesize less, resulting in lower oxygen levels. “The reduction in oxygen levels is very, very extreme,” said Chris Reinhard, a scientist from the Georgia Institute of Technology. “We are talking about oxygen levels that are about 1 million times lower than they are today.”
According to Reinhard’s calculations, the oxygen-rich phase of Earth could last only about 20-30% of the planet’s lifespan.
Interestingly, after oxygen disappears, not all life will cease. On the contrary, some species like microorganisms will continue to thrive and may dominate for a long time before disappearing.
“The atmosphere after the deoxygenation process will consist of high levels of methane, low CO2 concentrations, and no ozone layer at all,” Reinhard shared. “At that point, Earth could be a new world of anaerobic life forms.”
