Water from space ?
Discussion
It doesn't sound ridiculous at all. All matter has been spewed out from stars. Ice comets, and so on will seed the planet with elements, and so on.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/06/11...
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/06/11...
Always (whenever I read about it over the last few years) understood it to be there when the planets formed. Also bombardment from the young solar system also carried a lot of stuff in then the general forming of the earth caused it to percolate out etc, volcano building away and all that geological stuff. Of course it needs an atmosphere (pressure?)first I thought.
ALL the rocks, minerals, gases etc that currently make up the earth (and the other planets) came to be where they are through the accretion process and then the bombardment of the proto-planets by the raw materials that eventually made up those planets. So yes, ALL the water on earth originally came from space.
The state that those materials remained at on earth (i.e. in solid, liquid or gaseous form) depended on the eventual mass of the earth and the conditions pertaining on the planet once the accretion and bombardment phases had eventually quietened down a bit.
The other factor determining how the planet evolved was its distance from the sun.
These factors govern the gravity, atmospheric pressures and temperatures experienced at the surface and, on earth, these are just right to allow water to exist in liquid form over large areas of the planet.
The state that those materials remained at on earth (i.e. in solid, liquid or gaseous form) depended on the eventual mass of the earth and the conditions pertaining on the planet once the accretion and bombardment phases had eventually quietened down a bit.
The other factor determining how the planet evolved was its distance from the sun.
These factors govern the gravity, atmospheric pressures and temperatures experienced at the surface and, on earth, these are just right to allow water to exist in liquid form over large areas of the planet.
plenty of matter arrives on earth each year as the gravitational well pulls dust and of course metoerites to the surface.
the biggest loss of mass is from the light gases helium and hydrogen.
overall I think the earth is losing mass, mostly as hydrogen.
interestingly the loss of helium is a future problem since currently the world's helium supply (mostly a store in the US) is being sold at far below it's real value (some US law about how the national helium stocks should be sold off by 20something). Liquid helium is essential for superconducting magnets, so it's used in applications like MRI, spectrometers for chemists and pharmaceutical science, and of course things like CERN. sadly it's also used to fill up cheap helium balloons for children's birthday parties. a huge waste for a limited natural resource of huge importance.
the biggest loss of mass is from the light gases helium and hydrogen.
overall I think the earth is losing mass, mostly as hydrogen.
interestingly the loss of helium is a future problem since currently the world's helium supply (mostly a store in the US) is being sold at far below it's real value (some US law about how the national helium stocks should be sold off by 20something). Liquid helium is essential for superconducting magnets, so it's used in applications like MRI, spectrometers for chemists and pharmaceutical science, and of course things like CERN. sadly it's also used to fill up cheap helium balloons for children's birthday parties. a huge waste for a limited natural resource of huge importance.
With regard to the Helium, Presumably the US have stocks because they condensed it down and stored it in the first place.
It's not a case of the US having all the Helium in the world and when it is gone it is gone, it's more a case of the US having stock that is cheap and when it's gone then everyone else must condense it so it becomes an expensive gas again.
It's not a case of the US having all the Helium in the world and when it is gone it is gone, it's more a case of the US having stock that is cheap and when it's gone then everyone else must condense it so it becomes an expensive gas again.
it's actually extracted from natural gas i think but once it's released into the atmosphere it is essentially gone (into space). I don't thin anybody extracts it from air but I could be wrong. All of the helium on earth has been produced since the formation of the planet by radioactive decay (an alpha particle, emitted from nuclei in radioactive decay, is the nucleus of a helium atom).
Edited by Use Psychology on Tuesday 1st May 09:53
Edited by Use Psychology on Tuesday 1st May 10:40
Getragdogleg said:
Right, I see, but where did the US get it from and why ?
extractednatural gas in the US I think, I guess it was stored for military or spacey purposes... or just because they know the world's supply is limited and it is regenerated slowly... then some politicians became aware of the cost of storing it and decided it should be sold off at well below it's true value... duh. Use Psychology said:
it's actually extracted from natural gas i think but once it's released into the atmosphere it is essentially gone (into space). I don't thin anybody extracts it from air but I could be wrong. All of the helium on earth has been produced since the formation of the planet by radioactive decay (a beta particle, emitted from nuclei in radioactive decay, is the nucleus of a helium atom).
Alpha particle, 4/2 He. A beta particle is an electron.Helium is also the first product you get from nuclear fusion (ie stars). 1+1=2 etc.
edited Sheets Tabuer said:
Only if they have a dastardly plan to have the whole world talking like alvin and the chipmunks.
I'd call that "The Credibility Bomb". It would transform any world leader into a laughing stock and render him powerless.The only potential leader it might actually improve is Ed MIlliband.
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