Past pandemics significantly modified the Earth’s atmosphere
The arrival of the Spanish, Portuguese and later the English to America marked the transformation of the continent forever. However, during the first years of occupation, colonizers and natives of America experienced terrifying pandemics that reduced the population of the continent and the entire world. because the immune systems Both of them were not prepared for the shock that represented hundreds of years of – almost – absolute isolation.
Pandemics are not something that surprises us after having lived through the COVID era that has changed almost all aspects of our lives and has brought gurus to the forefront making predictions that seemed accurate
Pandemics of the past and altered the atmosphere
A scientific team has published a very illuminating article in the journal Nature showing a connection between carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere and the great pandemics in history. focusing above all on a time of great globalization as is the case of the arrival of European powers to America.
By analyzing air bubbles trapped in ancient ice, researchers have been able to reconstruct the composition of the atmosphere in different eras. The study focused on the last 2,000 yearsanalyzing air from ice cores from Law Dome in Antarctica and WAIS Divide in Greenland.
During this period, diseases were a constant threat to humanity, with a high mortality rate and dozens of cases are recorded in history. “pests” as they were called in the past: that of Cyprian, Justinian or the Black Death are excellent examples of the same.
However, this began to be noticed more noticeably when human beings from all continents collided. Between the years 1520 and 1610 AD. C., a notable drop in CO2 can be observed, coinciding with the arrival of European powers to America and the massive death of the indigenous population due to diseases brought by the colonizers. For its part, mortality among Europeans was also very high, since American diseases also were unknown to their immune systems.
It is believed that the reduction in population could have led to the abandonment of land and the growth of vegetation, which in turn would have absorbed large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere causing these quite noticeable changes in the earth’s composition. In order to find conclusive evidence, research based on the Skytrain Ice Rise ice core in Antarctica, which point to a more gradual decrease in CO2 during this period, but also point to the arrival of Europeans to America as the main cause.
In summary:
- A scientific team has found a fairly direct relationship between carbon dioxide and great pandemics in history showing the impact of human beings on the planet.
- Air bubbles trapped in ancient ice have allowed us to analyze what the atmosphere was like thousands or millions of years ago.
- Over the last 2,000 years, air from the Law Dome and WAIS Divide ice cores has been analyzed.
- In this period of time, diseases decimated the population and the death rate was quite high.
- Between the years 1520 and 1610 AD. C. a very rapid drop in CO2 is observed, coinciding with the arrival of the European powers in America and the massive death of the continent’s indigenous people due to introduced diseases which also had a great impact on Europeans.
- It is believed that the reduction in population could have led to the abandonment of entire areas and the growth of vegetation that would have absorbed large amounts of CO2.
- Other models based on the Skytrain Ice Rise ice core suggest a more gradual decrease in CO2, but confirm that it could have been due to the arrival in America.
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