Science

Report: Early Oxygen Levels Reached 35% and May Have Fueled Ancient Forest Fires

This scientific article is quite interesting. It appears that over the past 400 million years, the level of oxygen on Earth has varied considerably and higher oxygen levels may have contributed to ancient forest fires.


While our air is 21% oxygen today, scientists from Royal Holloway, University of London and The Field Museum in Chicago have released findings that it was much higher in the the Late Paleozoic (around 300 million years ago) and resulted in massive sized plants and insects — including the dragonfly Meganeura monyi with a wingspan of over two feet.

Oxygen levels may have been as high as 30 to 35% during the Late Paleozoic period.

Source: Geojunk.

11 thoughts on “Report: Early Oxygen Levels Reached 35% and May Have Fueled Ancient Forest Fires”

  1. Hello there! This post couldn’t be written much better! Looking at this article reminds me of my previous roommate! He continually kept preaching about this. I’ll send this information to
    him. Fairly certain he’ll have a good read. Thank you for sharing!

  2. Blouise,

    I said that Buddha got crabs didn’t say where.

    Buddha,

    Good to see your disrespectful but here. So the itsy bitsy spider came down the water spout, and got ya?

  3. pete
    1, August 3, 2010 at 7:59 pm
    With o2 levels this high insects could grow extremely large. Think of spiders the size of king crabs.

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    Buddha … I think that’s what bit you

  4. Byron,

    Wishful thinking on that last line. Weather may be cyclical, but that doesn’t not negate that mankind is impacting not just the atmosphere but the hydrosphere as well. If we as a species died today? The weather would still be cyclical tomorrow. Just without the extra carbon and toxins being pumped into the system by industry.

    In re oxygen levels being higher in the past – this is not new news. In fact, Larry Niven used it as a plot device in his short story “Flight of the Horse” in which a time traveler from the future gets an oxygen high when he forgets to compensate for higher levels in the (relative) past).

  5. How is that related to global warming? Maybe climate is cyclical? And man doesn’t actually have that much impact?

  6. With o2 levels this high insects could grow extremely large. Think of spiders the size of king crabs.

  7. mespo727272
    1, August 3, 2010 at 8:14 am
    I wonder if anyone checks the level of carbon dioxide when Congress is in session?

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    Which is why they should all be required to carry small trees instead of briefcases or laptops.

  8. From blawg posting: “resulted in massive sized *plants* and insects — including the dragonfly…”

    Just a quibble but, from the article (and a couple of Discovery Channel shows) the colonization of the land by plants the resultant increased oxygen levels gave rise to gigantism in *animals* and insects; more oxygen available to power really big bodies/muscles.

  10. mespo,

    If it were checked and might I add for any city, state of Federal Government while in session, they would most certainly be closed down as the toxicity levels would reach life threatening levels. But not to worry about the members of congress they have already sold the Soul….

  11. I wonder if anyone checks the level of carbon dioxide when Congress is in session?

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