Is the Earth growing or contracting?

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Does this increase or decrease in mass put life on Earth at risk?

 

Like any good gift provider, Earth continuously exchanges materials with the solar system it inhabits. In addition to the continual bombardment of our planet by shooting stars and gases escaping from Earth's atmosphere, the Earth's atmosphere is constantly leaking out into space.

 

Are we witnessing an increase in the size of the Earth, or are we witnessing a decrease in its size?

 

A senior NASA scientist at Langley Research Center in Virginia, Guillaume Gronoff, says that our planet's atmosphere is dwindling because of our planet's gaseous contributions to space. Despite this, he remarked, we're not dwindling much.

 

Accretion, or the accumulation of space dust, is the process by which planets are formed. According to Gronoff, some accretion occurred after Earth formed around 4.5 billion years ago, mostly through asteroid impacts and meteorites.

 

Another process, however, begins as soon as a planet is formed: atmospheric escape. According to Gronoff, the process is analogous to evaporation, although on a smaller scale. According to Gronnoff's theory, in the atmosphere, oxygen, hydrogen, and helium atoms take in enough solar energy to escape.

 

So how do these processes influence the overall mass of the planet? The best they can do is make educated guesses.

 

According to Gronoff, "Of course it's still under study because it's hard to determine the mass of the Earth in real time." According to the scientist, Earth's mass cannot be measured precisely enough for us to know if the planet is losing or gaining weight.

 

However, scientists have calculated that the Earth receives an additional 16,500 tons (15,000 metric tons) of mass every year from meteors, which is equivalent to the weight of one and a half Eiffel Towers, according to Gronoff.

 

Satellite data has been used to determine air escape rates. Gronoff estimated that at 82,700 tons (or 75,000 metric tons) or 7.5 Eiffel Towers in weight, The Earth loses around 66,100 tons (60,000 metric tons) of material yearly. When compared to the size of the entire world, "that's a small amount," he remarked.

 

According to Gronoff's calculations based on historical estimations of atmospheric escape rates, the Earth would lose its atmosphere in 5 billion years if it didn't have a method to replace it.

 

However, the oceans and other activities such as volcanic eruptions replenish the Earth's atmosphere. When the Earth loses its atmosphere, it will take approximately 15.4 trillion years; that's nearly 100 times longer than the life of the cosmos. However, Earth will likely become uninhabitable long before that happens due to the sun's predicted transformation into a red giant in around 5 billion years. So, Gronoff explained, "the escape of atmosphere is not a concern in the very long run."

 

It is safe to say that, while we can all admire Earth for its kind deeds, such as the generous donation of its atmospheric gases to outer space, its declining size is not endangering life on the planet.

Reference  : https://www.livescience.com/is-earth-expanding-or-shrinking

Image source : https://pixabay.com/id/photos/bumi-bola-dunia-planet-dunia-11015/

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