Approach of the next glacial age can be held at least on half-million years by burning energy sources excavated by human. To this optimistic conclusion led a recent study of the group of British scientists from the University of Southampton. The mathematical model of the described processes, which was consecutively developed by oceanologists from the University of Southampton, allowed them to draw the conclusion that the carbon-dioxide content in the atmosphere will not return to “preindustrial” level, when men will end to burn hydrocarbons. Moreover, if we use to the end all known fossilized minerals, then there is not any value with what speed we burn them. To burn them at the current level or even more moderately, the result will be the same - the offensive of glacial period will become not possible in the nearest 500 thousand years. Glacial periods appear every 100 thousand years, as a result of the periodic changes in the rotation of orbit of the Earth. Changes in that how the sunlight falls on the surface of planet, contribute to the formation of extensive snowy caps, involving the climate of planet in prolonged glacial period. But a main role in such climatic changes not plays only variations in the intensity of sunlight, but the level of atmospheric CO2 is not less important.
The researchers attempted to understand, on the basis of mathematical simulation, how the constantly increasing level of carbon dioxide can influence on the chemical processes in the World Ocean. As is known, World Ocean partially absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere, which increases its acidity. This, in turn, contributes to the dissolution of calcium carbonate into rocks, formed by sea organisms, and it’s more increasing the carbon contents in the oceans. As a result, the ability of ocean to absorb carbon dioxide is reduced.
For today the mankind has burnt, in the form of mineral fuel, nearby 300 Gt of carbon (1 Gt = 1 000 000 000 tons). The work of scientists allows predicting that if we bring this number to 1000 Gt then the next glacial age will not come. And the combustion of all reserves of hydrocarbon fuel will compel a planet to miss successively five periods of permafrost and a cold.
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