Why did the ocean produced more biomass millions of years ago when more CO2 was in the atmosphere?

Question

You must know all the carbon locked up in coal,oil&gas was at one time in the atmosphere in the form of CO2. Way back then the atmosphere 100s of times more CO2 than it now has. And yet at that time biomass was being generated at a far greater rate than now.

Answer 1

All life depends on Carbon structures. Since CO2 levels presumably were higher in the past, and noting that carbon dioxide is thousands of times more soluble in oceanic water than N2, which also supports life. More concentrations of carbon containing CO2 was available under high pressures (under water), resulting in faster chemical reactions that were carbon to carbon bond forming. This allowed the existence of microorganisms, viruses, and eventually unicellular organisms. Through growth and evolution, we now have multicellular plants, hydra, and much more CO2 consuming plants in the ocean decreasing the content available in the oceans. When the concentration decreased in the ocean, the concentration gradient allowed CO2 to move from the air into the oceans where it was further converted to O2 and as organisms died off into nitrogenic wastes which eventually evaporated into N2.

Answer 2

That is one theory that I personally think is flawed IMO. What is more likely in my opinion is that oil coal and gas and accumulated carbonate rocks was formed from a continuous supply of CO2 from the outgassing of mostly methane that was from the original accretion of the earth. This methane encountered a deep hot biosphere that turned much of it to petroleum and other bi-products. There is far more CO2 locked up in the limestone and dolomite formations as well as other carbonates. It is interesting that all the methane on Titan is abiogenic, yet all methane on earth is illogically nearly always considered biogenic in origin. I think there is simply too much carbon locked up in petroleum and known rocks to account for such a high concentration of CO2 in my opinion. Anyway it is an interesting theory and seems to have fewer holes in it.

Answer 3

Well, it could be because plant life greatly prefers breathing CO2 (as if it has a choice) to other gases, assuming that you're referring to plant life. Thus, lot more CO2 means a lot more plants, algae, and other stuff. I suppose that would create an excess food supply, also, increasing the carrying capacity of the ocean, and thus allowing animals to live in far greater abundance, what with a lot more food and all.

Answer 4

Hi. Plant life (biomass) is based on the assimilation of carbon from carbon dioxide.