If CO2 is so heavy, why doesn’t it sink and suffocate us?

The question in the title was inspired by a comment on a site I visit a lot, one to which I’ve posted a lot in nigh on three years. More about that later. Suffice it to say that I shall reply to here, rather than there, and attempt to place a link on the other site. There will be no more posting to that site until such time as its moderation policies are given a thorough overhaul! Nuff said for now…

The question was essentially this: given that we all know that petrol fumes sink to the ground at a filling station, why doesn’t CO2 – which we also know is denser than air – also settle at ground level? Why are we not suffocated by the stuff – or does it only come up to ankle or knee level?

Continue reading at: Science Buzz

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