Scientists prove that an increase of several tens of degrees would make the Earth uninhabitable

An increase of just a few dozen degrees on Earth would unleash an irreversible “runaway greenhouse effect” and turn the planet into an uninhabitable place like Venus, University of Geneva research published today warns.

The study, which was conducted using 3D planetary simulation models and also involved experts from the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), shows that the difference between a planet capable of hosting life and one where it is impossible is less than one. I might think, just a few degrees.

In the simulation, a planet similar to Earth was created, with oceans and life, where a temperature change of a few tens of degrees causes a chain reaction that quickly changes the position of the star, the University of Geneva explained in a statement.

The professor from the Department of Science and Technology explained that “the evaporation of just 10 centimeters on the ocean surface will lead to an increase in atmospheric pressure by one bar, and in just a few hundred years a surface temperature of 500 degrees will be reached.” Astronomy at the University Guillaume Chaverot, study leader.

The expert added that development will continue until atmospheric pressures of up to 273 bar are reached and temperatures of up to 1,500 degrees, at which point the water in the oceans will evaporate completely.

Through this study, which was published in the Journal of Astronomy and Astrophysics, experts seek to get closer to the process of the so-called “runaway greenhouse effect”, as other work related to it so far has focused on what comes before or after it, but not in ” during”.

The University of Geneva says this greenhouse effect “could transform the planet from ideal and ideal for life into a harsh and hostile planet.”

Scientists have studied this hypothetical rise of dozens of degrees associated with a possible increase in the intensity of the Sun’s illumination in the future, although they wonder whether the consequences would be similar if rising temperatures had other causes, such as increased concentrations of carbon dioxide and other gases. Which also produces global warming.

Scientists explain that, in moderation, global warming caused by water vapor, for example, is beneficial, because “without it the average temperature of the Earth would be below the freezing point of water” and life on it would also be impossible.

The research aims primarily to analyze the possibilities of life on exoplanets (planets outside our solar system), and to observe whether their cloud cover patterns would be similar to those on Earth, perhaps making them habitable, or whether they would actually show signs of “runaway.” Effects of gaseous emissions.

Two researchers from the University of Geneva, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz, discovered the first exoplanet in 1995, which earned them the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2019.