Ask the Author: Darrell Keifer
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Darrell Keifer
In 1986, Lake Nyos in Cameroon, Africa, suddenly released volcanic gases that had built up in the lower layer of the lake. The anoxic gases, mostly carbon dioxide, filled a valley, suffocating 1,600 people, 3,500 head of cattle, and most of the wildlife—birds, dogs, and fish.
Tragedy aside, any hard science-fiction aficionado would look at the data and begin hypothesizing: If a small volcanic lake can store and suddenly release such volumes of gas, what could the Pacific Ring of Fire with hundreds of volcanoes and several super volcanos, combined with the oceans’ vast stores of clathrates (methane and carbon dioxide) do on a planet-wide scale? Though estimates of the oceans’ gas volumes vary by orders of magnitude, the volcanic and marine sources together could provide enough mass for a carbon gun, a theoretical worldwide Nyos event.
Additionally, the story utilizes a temperature inversion to hold those gases in the lower atmosphere, which also provides a pathway to return the atmosphere to a breathable state.
The actual cause of deaths at Lake Nyos was hypercapnia, high carbon dioxide levels in the blood. Seven to ten percent CO2 in the air can increase blood CO2 levels from 45 mmHg to 75 mmHg, resulting in mental confusion, unconsciousness within two minutes, and death soon after.
I formerly worked as a fish hatchery manager, and we sometimes anesthetized fish (for live spawning) with CO2. We had to be very careful to not over-expose the fish, or they would not revive.
Tragedy aside, any hard science-fiction aficionado would look at the data and begin hypothesizing: If a small volcanic lake can store and suddenly release such volumes of gas, what could the Pacific Ring of Fire with hundreds of volcanoes and several super volcanos, combined with the oceans’ vast stores of clathrates (methane and carbon dioxide) do on a planet-wide scale? Though estimates of the oceans’ gas volumes vary by orders of magnitude, the volcanic and marine sources together could provide enough mass for a carbon gun, a theoretical worldwide Nyos event.
Additionally, the story utilizes a temperature inversion to hold those gases in the lower atmosphere, which also provides a pathway to return the atmosphere to a breathable state.
The actual cause of deaths at Lake Nyos was hypercapnia, high carbon dioxide levels in the blood. Seven to ten percent CO2 in the air can increase blood CO2 levels from 45 mmHg to 75 mmHg, resulting in mental confusion, unconsciousness within two minutes, and death soon after.
I formerly worked as a fish hatchery manager, and we sometimes anesthetized fish (for live spawning) with CO2. We had to be very careful to not over-expose the fish, or they would not revive.
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