Oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere has an expiration date. A study of NASA and the Toho University He concluded that within approximately one billion years, the Earth will cease to be a habitable planet when losing its ability to sustain photosynthesis and, with it, oxygen production.
This transformation, driven by the progressive increase in solar radiation, will irreversibly alter the chemical balance that has allowed the existence of complex life for millions of years.
The study, led by Kazumi Ozakifrom Toho University, and Christopher Reinharddel Instituto Nexus for Exoplanet System Science de la NASAHe used large -scale simulations to foresee how long -term terrestrial atmosphere will evolve.
The researchers estimated that, although the total oxygen collapse will occur in a few billion years, the initial effects of this transformation could begin to be noticed within 10,000 years.
According to scientists, the process will be a direct consequence of the gradual increase in solar luminosity. This phenomenon, which has been happening for millions of years, will cause the rupture of carbon dioxide molecules (CO₂) In the atmosphere.
As the levels of CO₂ Decrease, plants will not be able to perform photosynthesis. “Without photosynthesis, the production of atmospheric oxygen will cease,” Ozaki explained.
The disappearance of CO₂ It will begin a chain reaction that will lead to the desertification of the planet. The Earth will return to a state similar to the one that had billions of years ago, before the appearance of complex life. “Without plants, there will be no oxygen available for animals or humans,” Reinhard added.
He Oxygen exhaustion It will mark the end of all complex life forms. The loss of the ozone layer, which depends on the presence of oxygen, will expose the earth’s surface to lethal levels of solar radiation. Only some anaerobic microorganisms, which do not require oxygen to survive, could adapt to new conditions.
In addition, atmospheric imbalance will cause an increase in methane concentrations (CH₄). This gas, which is also a powerful taxpayer to the greenhouse effect, will accelerate the degradation of the atmosphere and the toxicity of the air. “The future of the Earth will be radically different from the present,” warned the authors of the study.
Although the transformation will occur in a remote future, the findings have immediate repercussions for astrobiology and exoplanet research. According to scientists, understanding these processes is crucial to evaluate the habitability of other worlds. “Our model offers a new perspective on the life cycles of habitable planets,” Reinhard said.
The study also forces to reconsider the parameters used in the search for life on other planets. “Exoplanets that seem habitable today could lose that capacity over time, just like the Earth,” Ozaki said.
For current humanity, discovery underlines the vulnerability of systems that support life on earth. Although none of living human beings today will witness oxygen exhaustion, the knowledge that this resource is not eternal invites you to reflect on the need to preserve environmental balance.
“Oxygen will not last forever. This reality reminds us that even the most basic elements of our existence are transient,” the researchers concluded.
Faced with this scenario, some scientists already study technologies that could prolong land habitability or facilitate migration to other celestial bodies. However, such solutions remain speculative and face huge technical and ethical challenges.
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