Imagine that oxygen disappeared from Earth for just five seconds. This gas, which makes up about 21% of our planet’s atmosphere, is vital for all living things. Even a short-term absence would have irreversible and catastrophic consequences.
A person could probably survive these five seconds by holding their breath. As engineer Jeffrey Widdinson points out, our bodies are not able to directly sense a lack of oxygen; they only respond to rising levels of carbon dioxide. Until that level reaches a critical point in the blood, we will not feel suffocated.
However, the consequences of the disappearance of oxygen will be horrific. First of all, the ozone layer, which protects us from the harmful ultraviolet radiation of the Sun, will disappear. People who are in the open air at that moment will immediately get severe sunburn.
In addition, all living beings will experience sudden and painful hearing loss. Due to a sudden drop in atmospheric pressure by more than 20%, the eardrums will burst.
Vision will also be dramatically altered. Although the eyes will remain physiologically intact, the world will be plunged into absolute darkness. Oxygen plays a key role in dispersing sunlight, and without it, we will be in pitch darkness. In this darkness, we will not be able to watch combustion engines stop, cars stall, or planes in flight fall from the sky. Water, which is one-third oxygen, will begin to evaporate.
Hannan Sundar, a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) from the Berla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), India, argues that the disappearance of oxygen will lead to a global explosion as the oceans, oxidized, turn into hydrogen.
Concrete buildings, deprived of the binding element of oxygen, will instantly turn to dust.
The only positive thing would be if all the fires stopped, because fire cannot burn without oxygen. However, if oxygen returns to the atmosphere, the flames will flare up again.
While this is currently only a hypothetical scenario, scientists do not rule out its possibility in the distant future. Research shows that over the past 0,8 million years, the concentration of oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere has been gradually decreasing. According to one study from 2021, the "end of the world" due to the complete disappearance of oxygen could occur in a billion years, in 1 000 002 021. In this case, only bacteria resembling the first inhabitants of our planet would likely survive.
Ultimately, recognizing the importance of oxygen and its role in sustaining life should motivate us to be more environmentally responsible. After all, as this hypothetical scenario shows, even a short-term imbalance can have catastrophic consequences.
Resource: www.vokrugsveta.ru
