The Earth is losing weight. The Earth is losing approximately 50,000 tonnes (metric ton) per year according to Jesus Diaz’ article, “Why Is Earth Getting 50,000 Tonnes Lighter Each Year?” A metric ton weighs less than a ton so I’m not really sure if this is as serious as it might seem.
With the loss of hydrogen (H) and helium (He) the Earth loses mass each year. Apparently, the loss of helium is quite a concern because it would adversely affect our infinity for mylar balloons. No, that’s not true. The loss of helium, helium-3 (rare) and helium-4 (abundant) which has many uses in the science and health care industries as stated in “The Importance of Helium and the Helium Shortage,” would adversely affect some medical instruments.
With the Earth’s atmosphere losing approximately 95,000 tonnes of H and about 1,600 tonnes of He, you would think that would affect our orbit around the Sun but it doesn’t. You might think that with the Earth’s core burning up the inner earth that we’d lose even more mass but it doesn’t.
Okay, so about 40,000 tonnes of minute stardust particles fall to the earth from somewhere out there and that’s where they get their weight difference. They discount everything on the Earth as having been transformed from whatever the Earth is made of so there can be no change. Houses are made of wood, people are made from people…I’m assuming that what “they” are telling me is that all the minerals in the earth are sucked up into plants at the same weight because of growth, as the minerals weight in the ground. Therefore, nothing has changed only transformed. Well, what about the leaves?
My yard has at least 50+ trees, bushes, flowering and various assorted plants. Some grass but mostly ground cover (weeds) take up the rest of the space. Here it is near the end of October and there are almost as many leaves on the ground as there are remaining on the trees. Now I understand that leaves on the trees transform to leaves on the ground but by spring they will be dirt. Yes, dirt. Dirt weighs more than leaves. I blow leaves in the fall and shovel the dirt in the spring. I can physically feel the difference. And, what about all those cities that archeologists have to dig up? How did they get underground in the first place, if not for dirt, dirt created by decaying plants? If the Earth’s mass is decreasing, why is there more dirt?
Every year when I have to rake or blow leaves I can only believe that leaves have something to do with the mass of the Earth–stardust or not.
Jay 🙂
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