Since I'm a bit of a math and physics nerd, I decided to calculate the size of the bubble and how long it would actually take the party to run out of air. This makes the assumption that everyone involved has the same tolerances for oxygen and CO2 as a human being, that Scythe has the shoulder width of the average American adult male, and that the atmosphere of the planet TwoKinds takes place on is identical to Earth's. I included links to other sites I used as references, and I'm sure the numbers aren't perfect (I already had to make one major correction) but the picture it paints is an interesting one.
I marked 3 points with red pixels (zoom in [ctrl +] to see) and drew a line across Scythe's shoulders to use for scale.
points:
(0,234)
(153,298)
(292,318)
I then used this widget to do all the complicated math required to get a circle that crosses 3 points
http://www.wolframalpha.com/widgets/vie ... 9b91666803
radius: 606.28
The total size of the bubble would look like this:
(I know it looks a bit small, but it's what the man drew)
width of scythe's shoulders: 21 px
average adult male shoulders (according to Google): 18.25 in.
widest bodybuilder shoulders
(source): 24 in.
While I could assume a 21-inch width to make the math easier, this would only be appropriate if Scythe was absolutely ripped. Although he's certainly fit, he doesn't look that wide, so I went with the average
18.25/21 = .869/1 in/px
radius (in feet) = ((.869)(606.28))/12 = 43.905 ft
Volume of a hemisphere (in feet) = (2/3)pi r^3 = (2/3)pi(43.905)^3 = 56421.426 ft^3 (I used 3.14159 for pi because I was too lazy to find the button for it)
Amount of air breathed by 1 human in 1 day = 300ft^3
(source)
difference in oxygen exhaled = 6% or .06
So there will be 300(6) * .06 = 108 ft^3 less oxygen per day the party spends in the bubble.
Minimum oxygen concentration needed for humans = 19.5%
(source)
This is only where it starts to get uncomfortable. True lethality would be lower. At 10% you get exhausted without even moving, so we'll use that.
oxygen concentration of air = 20.95%
(source)
oxygen at start = 56421.426(.2095) = 11820.289 ft^3
dangerously low oxygen = 56421.426(.10) = 5642.143 ft^3
days of breathable oxygen = (11820.289 - 5642.143)/108 =
57.205 days
I wouldn't call that ages, but Raine is correct, Carver will be waiting a fairly long time.
But now lets check for when CO2 levels become toxic.
CO2 concentration of air = 0.04%
CO2 in bubble = 56421.426(.0004) = 22.569 ft^3
Dangerous CO2 concentration = 3%
Lethal C02 in bubble = 56421.426(.03) = 1692.643 ft^3
difference = 1692.643 - 22.569 = 1670.074 ft^3
increase in CO2 = 300(6)(.04) = 72 ft^3 per day
It would take 1670.074/72 =
23.195 days for CO2 levels to become dangerous.
This is more concerning, but still a lot of time for Carver to wait. The party would likely die of CO2 toxicity in a little over 3 weeks.
Incidentally, this is also about how long it would take them to starve to death if they have no food (unless they turn to canibalism or Mrs. Nibbly).
So Raine is sort-of correct. They have
some time, but only a few weeks. Certainly not what I'd call "ages". And the problem isn't running out of air, it's that they'd make the air toxic.
Oh, and before you bring up the "trees", comic #981 shows only a single tree within the bubble. I crunched the numbers real quick on that and the average tree would only produce 8.5 cubic feet of oxygen, and consume 1.6 cubic feet of CO2, per day. The party is using 108 ft^3 of oxygen and putting out 72 ft^3 of CO2 each day, so the difference would be negligible.