By- Shivanshi Srivastava
Scientists have projected a dramatic shift in Earth's atmosphere that could see it reverting to a state similar to the one before the Great Oxidation Event (GOE) around 2.4 billion years ago.
This event, which saw a significant increase in atmospheric oxygen changed earth's environment and enabled the rise of aerobic life forms, including humans.
A study form 2021 suggests that this oxygen-rich period may not be a permanent feature of Earth's history.
It reveals that within the next billion years, a rapid deoxygenation event could occur, leading to an atmosphere dominated by methane, akin to the Archaean Earth.
This change would mark the end of oxygen-dependent life, including human civilisation, unless we develop the means to leave our planet
With lower CO2 levels, photosynthetic organisms such as plants would dwindle, resulting in a drastic drop in oxygen production.
Based on nearly 4,00,000 simulations, reveals that the depletion of oxygen will precede the loss of surface water and prove more immediately fatal to life as we know it.
Scientist estimates that O2 will be million times less than current levels. This reduction signals an end to the majority of life forms currently thriving on Earth.