Oxygen—Ozone Theory

The reduction in ozone in the upper atmosphere is due to several causes.  One of the major causes is a decrease in the amount of oxygen in the lower atmosphere.

The Oxygen-Ozone Theory states that ozone, O₃, comes from oxygen, O₂, in the lower atmosphere.  The oxygen in the lower atmosphere has been decreasing because a large amount of trees have been cut down in the last several centuries.  The oxygen content in the air near the earth’s surface , which may have been over 25% in ancient times) has been declining for the past 2,000 years, but the rate has accelerated in the last several centuries.  The oxygen level was estimated to be over 23.5 % in the early 1600s, and is currently around 20.2 % at sea level.

Currently, by volume, dry air contains 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.04% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases. Real air is not perfectly dry.  Air also contains a variable amount of water vapor, ranging from 0.4 to 7%.  Thus, on a humid day, air contains about 74% nitrogen, 20% oxygen, 5% water vapor, and 1% argon.   

Humans have been cutting down and burning down trees and forests all over the globe as the human population has grown.  Cutting down trees and forests has increased rapidly in the last several centuries as European settlers spread across North and South America.  Most of early America before the European settlers came was forest.  The European settlers cut down or burned down most of the forests in the continental United States.  In the last 50 years, 20% of the Amazon rainforest have been cut down or burned by fires. 

Since trees are the largest producer of oxygen (other plants, including cyanobacteria and algae, also produce oxygen), the decline in trees has caused a decline in oxygen in the lower atmosphere, which in turn caused a decline in ozone, O₃, in the upper atmosphere.  Ozone, O₃, forms more in the upper atmosphere because gravity is weaker in the upper atmosphere, and entropy is stronger, so the oxygen atoms can move around more freely and have more energy, allowing more O₃  to form.  

Global warming is in part also caused by a decline in the number of trees. Over the past 50 years, the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen from 320 ppm to 400 ppm. This is happening because there are less trees and forests to absorb the carbon dioxide and cool the air.  Trees and forests produce a lot of shade, which is cooler.  Trees also absorb carbon dioxide.  Carbon dioxide holds heat in or near the earth, and does not let heat escape so easily into space, thereby tending to heat up the earth. Plants, on the other hand,  absorb heat (energy) during photosynthesis.

Hence, global warming is the result of the reduction of the number of trees all over the earth. The reduced number of trees is also the cause of the loss of ozone, O₃, in the upper atmosphere. It can also lead to a vicious cycle.  The higher temperatures can lead to more forest and brush fires, which further reduces the number of trees.

Ozone

About 90% of the ozone in Earth's atmosphere is contained in the stratosphere.  In this layer, ozone concentrations are about 2 to 8 parts per million, which is much higher than in the lower atmosphere but still very small compared to the main components of the atmosphere. Ozone is mainly located in the lower portion of the stratosphere from about 15–35 km (9.3–21.7 mi; 49,000–115,000 ft), though the thickness varies seasonally and geographically.

Dynamic Equilibrium

Oxygen and ozone are in a Dynamic Equilibrium in the Earth’s atmosphere.  As one goes higher in the atmosphere, the force of gravity decreases and entropy increases, causing more oxygen (O₂) to be converted into ozone (O₃). 

As one goes from the upper atmosphere toward the earth’ surface, entropy decreases, and the force of gravity increases, causing more ozone to be converted into oxygen. 

For more information on the relationship between gravity and entropy, see my Gravity-Entropy Theory.

Solution

Hence, the easiest solution to the ozone hole, or depletion of ozone layer, is to increase the number of trees.  This can be accomplished by planting more trees, and also by allowing more trees to grow.  In many areas, more trees will grow naturally, as long as they are not cut down or mowed down.  Trees also reduce the surrounding air temperature, thus helping with global warming.   For example, a forest can be as much as 20 F cooler than the temperature of the surrounding area.

Also, oceans, seas,lakes, and rivers cover 71% of the earth’s surface.  An increase in the algae and other plant life in the ocean may also help increase the amount of oxygen and ozone in the earth’s atmosphere.

Planting trees not only increases the oxygen level in the atmosphere, it lowers the atmospheric temperature.  Trees and other plant life lower the temperature because during photosynthesis, energy is converted into matter.  In his General Theory of Relativity, Einstein proposed that matter can be converted into energy according to the equation:  ∆E = ∆mc² . The converse is also true; energy can be converted into matter.  When this happens, the temperature of the surroundings is lowered. 

It is not a coincidence that Newton discovered the universal force of gravity while sitting under a tree.  The higher level of oxygen around a tree led Newton to higher levels of thought.  The increased oxygen level surrounding a tree leads to an increase in both analytical and creative thought. 

Stop or slow down deforestation

Since 2016, 28 million hectares (69.2 million acres) of forest have been cut down each year.  That’s a football field of forest cut down every second around the clock.  1 billion hectares (2.47 billion acres) of forest have been cut down in the last 40 years—that’s a forest the size of Europe.   If we don’t act, the world’s rainforests will be gone within 100 years.  At the current rate of deforestation, the rainforests will be gone in 79 years.²

Studies done by Greenpeace showed that 300 billion tons of carbon, 40 times the annual greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels, are stored in trees.¹  Hence,  stopping or slowing down deforestation can help reduce the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.  Since 1970 to present, we have cut down 20% of the Amazon rainforest.  This does not include what was cut down prior to 1970.

Most of the forests in the United States, Europe, Africa and Asia, have already been cut down. 

The problem is not just cutting down trees and burning down trees in forest fires, the earth can be affected by extra-terrestrial events.  For example, in 1908, an asteroid from space entered the earth’s atmosphere, and exploded in the lower atmosphere—causing a shock wave that killed 80 million trees in Russia. 

As the dominant species on earth, we should restore the balance in nature by planting more trees and allowing more trees to grow.

Increase the response to and prevention of forest fires

Each year, about 340 million hectares (840 million acres) of the earth’s vegetated surface burn.³   The number of acres burned of Amazon rainforest has increased in recent years with 9000 square kilometers (2,224,000 acres) burned in 2019.⁴ This is particularly important because the Amazon rainforest is the largest consumer of carbon dioide (carbon), and also the largest producer of oxygen on earth. 

Growing trees and plants in deserts and mountainous regions

Some countries, such as Israel, have been able to grow trees and other crops in the desert, using irrigation.  Efforts should be made and continued to cultivate previously barren regions, including deserts and mountainous regions.  

Plant or  Regrow forests

Efforts can be made to plant or regrow forests from areas that have been cut down or burned down

Recycling more  paper and wood products

Increasing recycling of wood and paper products would help reduce the demand for cutting down trees.

Cut only dead trees or dead Limbs

Efforts can be made to limit cutting only to dead trees or dead or lower limbs, allowing the trees and forests to grow back.

Trees around homes, shopping areas and businesses

As the population of trees in forests continues to decline, we should plant more trees in the yards around people’s homes, as well as around businesses.  Most cities do not have enough trees, so cities should encourage their residents and businesses to plant more trees or other vegetation.                             

Plants inside homes and offices

The air inside many homes, apartments and businesses may allow people to breathe and survive, but there may not be an optimal amount of oxygen for health and may not support higher levels of thought.  Indoor plants can help clean the air, absorb carbon dioxide, and boost the oxygen level where we live, work, eat, and sleep.  This is especially important in the winter months, when the air outside contains more carbon dioxide and less oxygen because many trees (deciduous trees) shed their leaves and do not produce oxygen during the winter.

Making oxygen from carbon dioxide

Eventually, we will need to make oxygen from Carbon dioxide.  We can do this by adding energy.  The products from the reaction are oxygen and natural gas.  We can do this in a fuel cell or by other processes.  As the population grows and the number trees continues to decline, we will need to start manufacturing oxygen from Carbon dioxide before all the trees are cut down.

Since this process requires energy, we will need to build more non-fossil fuel power plants.  These would include wind, hydroelectric, solar, and nuclear.  Nuclear fission includes uranium and plutonium reactors.  Nuclear fusion reactors would be highly desirable, but I will leave that discussion to another theory.

Earlier earth

Scientists in Australia analyzed changes in the composition of a group of trace metals in the ocean and found that  over the last two billion years, oxygen rose to very high levels (greater than 25 %) and fell to very low levels in between (less than 10 %). Scientists identified 8 oxygen cycles with less than 10 % oxygen at the end of each cycle.  At the end of every cycle, there was a mass extinction.⁵

Space

It is estimated at the current rate, we will have no more rainforest and far fewer trees and forests on earth in the next 100 years, which can lead to significantly lower oxygen levels in the earth’s atmosphere.  The global population grew from 1 billion in 1800 to 7.8 billion in 2020, and the population continuing to double every 50 to 60 years would lead to over 31 billion people in the next 100 to 120 years.  To avoid  insufficient oxygen and not enough food for 31 billion people, part of the human race will need to move to outer space—to colonize other planets. moons, or asteroids, in our solar system and other star systems across the galaxy.

Summary and Conclusion

Oxygen and ozone are in a state of dynamic equilibrium in the earth’s atmosphere.  As one goes higher in the earth’s atmosphere, gravity becomes weaker and entropy becomes stronger, converting more oxygen into ozone.  Thus, the ozone hole and the reduction in the amount of O₃ in the ozone layer is largely due to the reduction in the amount of oxygen (O₂) in the lower atmosphere. 

Human beings, other animals,  as well as many human machines and processes consume oxygen and produce carbon dioxide, as well as expelling excess heat energy into the surroundings.  Plants, including trees, do the opposite—balancing nature—they absorb carbon dioxide and heat, while giving off oxygen to the surroundings.  This biosphere on earth is in a delicate balance, with oxygen levels going up to over 25%, and as low as less than 10%, at which point, many of the earth’s species cannot survive, and mass extinction occurs.

A drastic reduction in the oxygen level in the earth’s atmosphere can be caused by Extra-terrestrial events.  Extra-terrestrial events, such as an asteroid crashing into the earth, can cause a large dust cloud that can block out sunlight for many years, killing most plant and animal species on earth.

A drastic reduction in the earth’s oxygen level may also occur when one or more animal species consumes or destroys most of the plants (especially the largest producer of oxygen—the trees).  Human beings have currently grown to the point where we are cutting down and burning more trees each year, so less and less oxygen is being produced.  Human beings can do many things to slow down this process, but one of the most important is to grow more trees.  We can do this by slowing down or stopping deforestation, preventing and putting out forest fires, planting more trees and allowing more trees to grow. 

As the human population continues to grow and multiply—in order to avoid dire consequences in the future, we will need to colonize space.

References

¹Bradford, Alina. "Deforestation: Facts, Causes, & Effects." Live Science . https://www.livescience.com/27692-deforestation.html. March 4, 2015. Web. July 16, 2017.

²“Earth’s forests are being cut down. And they are being cut down fast.”

https://www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/planet-earth/forests-and-deserts/rate-of-deforestation/story.

³ “Global landcover change – wildfires 50 Global threats to plants.”   http://stateoftheworldsplants.org/2017/report/

⁴ Brienen, R.J., Phillips, O.L., Feldpausch, T.R., Gloor, E., Baker, T.R., Lloyd, J., Lopez-Gonzalez, G., Monteagudo-Mendoza, A., Malhi, Y., Lewis, S.L. and Martinez, R.V., 2015. Long-term decline of the Amazon carbon sink. Nature, 519(7543), pp.344-348

⁵“ Oxygen levels changed in the past 2 billion years more than previously believed.”  Technology.org. https://www.technology.org/2019/03/16/oxygen-levels-changed-in-the-past-2-billion-years-more-than-previously-believed.  March, 2019.