Re:Algae that can fix nitrogen – thanks to a tiny cell struc...
by JumpCrisscross on Sunday April 14, 2024 @09:05PM
(#40036040)
> Can anyone say whether it is possible to have an accident where this becomes a runaway process like the Great Oxidation Event?
Probably not, due to denitrifying organisms [1]. The GOE occured because aerobic respiration, the biological balance to photosynthesis, didn't exist [2]. So when cyanobacteria began photosynthesising, the only counterbalance was ferrous iron dissolved into the oceans. Once that's reduced, that's it. No cycle. In contrast, more nitrogen fixation would prompt more denitrification, thereby balancing the system.
So to complete your disaster novel, you'd need to kill off denitrifying bacteria. Ironically, it appears they require "a very low oxygen concentration of less than 10%."
Probably not, due to denitrifying organisms [1]. The GOE occured because aerobic respiration, the biological balance to photosynthesis, didn't exist [2]. So when cyanobacteria began photosynthesising, the only counterbalance was ferrous iron dissolved into the oceans. Once that's reduced, that's it. No cycle. In contrast, more nitrogen fixation would prompt more denitrification, thereby balancing the system.
So to complete your disaster novel, you'd need to kill off denitrifying bacteria. Ironically, it appears they require "a very low oxygen concentration of less than 10%."
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denitrification
[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28360330/
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxygen_cycle