Scientists have discovered the detailed picture of the world’s worst disaster that destroyed almost all of life on Earth 252 million years ago.
This disaster took place in the Permian-Triassic period. The aftermath of the global catastrophe resulting from volcanic activity in Siberia has left three-quarters of all land animals and 95% of all marine species extinct.
This information was published by scientists at the Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research in Germany in a newsletter published on the EurekAlert website.
The researchers analyzed the isotopes of boron in the calcareous crust of fossil arthropods, determining the degree of acidification of the oceans during the period of global extinction. The pH of seawater is closely related to the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere, which helps to monitor global climate change. Scientists then used the latest geochemical model to assess the impact of excess carbon dioxide on the environment.
The results of the study show that the large-scale magma eruptions in Siberia emitted a large amount of greenhouse gases. Its accumulation in the atmosphere lasted for several millennia, causing intense warming and acidification of the oceans. Drastic changes in weathering on land affect nutrient production and circulation in the ocean, increasing oxygen starved dead zones. The simultaneous effects of several factors have destroyed many different groups of animals on the planet.
Fortunately, such a scenario is unlikely to occur in the present day, scientists say. Burning all of the fossil fuels on Earth would not lead to an increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere like it did at the end of the Permian. However, it is worrying that the current rate of greenhouse gas accumulation is 14 times faster than the rate observed at the time of the extinction.
