Feil
24-05-2005, 23:21
I was recently debating a creationist who was purporting the "vapor canopy theory" (http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/canopy.html for a simple refutation).
He pointed out that it would be very difficult for dinosaurs to live in the modern atmosphere, due to the enormous amounts of oxygen per breath such large creatures would use. He claimed that the pressure increase that a vapor canopy would provide (I refuted him on the basis of light shining through, as opposed to the pressure refutation above) would allow them to live.
He brought up some evidence (said "I read somewhere that", then looked at me like I was sin itsself when I asked him to cite the study or explain its findings in detail) :
Amber with air bubbles trapped in it.
I was interested, so I did some googling, and found some interesting information.
To summarize briefly, samplings measured roughly 35% oxygen until the late cretacious, then dropped back to the present-day 21% afterwards. They pose that fire (burns oxygen) and widespread deforestation (removes what makes oxygen) would have caused this.
To their arguement I would add that the following ice age would have compounded the effect by slowing the rate at which plant life could re-establish itsself.
Essentially, just one more piece of evidence for the age of the earth, one more hole in the vapor canopy, and one less thing the fundies can lie to you about.
He pointed out that it would be very difficult for dinosaurs to live in the modern atmosphere, due to the enormous amounts of oxygen per breath such large creatures would use. He claimed that the pressure increase that a vapor canopy would provide (I refuted him on the basis of light shining through, as opposed to the pressure refutation above) would allow them to live.
He brought up some evidence (said "I read somewhere that", then looked at me like I was sin itsself when I asked him to cite the study or explain its findings in detail) :
Amber with air bubbles trapped in it.
I was interested, so I did some googling, and found some interesting information.
To summarize briefly, samplings measured roughly 35% oxygen until the late cretacious, then dropped back to the present-day 21% afterwards. They pose that fire (burns oxygen) and widespread deforestation (removes what makes oxygen) would have caused this.
To their arguement I would add that the following ice age would have compounded the effect by slowing the rate at which plant life could re-establish itsself.
Essentially, just one more piece of evidence for the age of the earth, one more hole in the vapor canopy, and one less thing the fundies can lie to you about.