Re: Oxygen level in Mezoic

[Dann Pigdon <dannj@alphalink.com.au>]

Dino Beast wrote:

> I have seen there is a claimed experiment extracting gas bubbles from Amber.
>   It is shown in that experiment that the oxygen level in Cretaceous is 30%.
> 
> Is this a commonly accepted figure/experiment.  Is there any info on
> prehistoric oxygen level ??

I haven't heard of the experiment myself, but I've always wondered
whether a rough estimate of oxygen levels can be made based on the
maximum size of insects alive at any one time. We certainly don't see
dragonflies with one-foot wingspans anymore, and insect sizes seem to be
restricted by gas exchange factors.

Any thoughts? (There certainly aren't many at this end!)

-- 
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Dann Pigdon                   Australian Dinosaurs:
GIS / Archaeologist         http://www.geocities.com/dannsdinosaurs
Melbourne, Australia        http://www.alphalink.com.au/~dannj/
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