|
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Tralfamadore
Posts: 10,343
|
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Tralfamadore
Posts: 10,343
|
Dinosaur gases 'warmed the Earth'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/17953792
Quote:
Giant dinosaurs could have warmed the planet with their flatulence, say researchers.
British scientists have calculated the methane output of sauropods, including the species known as Brontosaurus.
By scaling up the digestive wind of cows, they estimate that the population of dinosaurs - as a whole - produced 520 million tonnes of gas annually.
They suggest the gas could have been a key factor in the warm climate 150 million years ago.
Methane is known as a "greenhouse gas" that absorbs infrared radiation from the sun, trapping it in the Earth's atmosphere and leading to increased temperatures.
Previous studies have suggested that the Earth was up to 10C (18F) warmer in the Mesozoic Era.
|
Fascinating ..... 
|