Earth's Atmosphere Is Losing Oxygen at an Accelerated Rate, Study Says

Oxygen levels in the Earth's atmosphere are on a downward spiral, but it's nothing to panic over just yet, researchers say. 

In a study published in the journal Science, a team of scientists, led by researchers from Princeton University in New Jersey, tested the concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere and found that levels have dropped by almost 0.7 percent over the past 800,000 years, compared to modern levels.

More disturbing, the rate seems to have sped up over the past century, dropping by a further 0.1 percent.

Although oxygen levels do seem to be decreasing faster, the decrease is nothing to panic over, the researchers say. 

Oxygen levels fluctuate from time to time but are currently registering at around 21 percent. In the course of the 4.3 billion-year history of Earth, there have been two major spikes in oxygen levels linked to explosions of life.

Methodology

https://weather.com/science/nature/news/earth-atmosphere-losing-oxygen