Nature & Environment
Dinosaur Extinction: Ocean Acidification, Volcanism Made it Possible
Michael Finn
First Posted: May 02, 2016 04:10 AM EDT
Dinosaur extinction was not due to volcanic eruptions according to a new discovery. The data further suggests that the oceans have the ability to absorb large quantities of carbon dioxide when gradually released over an extremely long period.
The cause of Cretaceous-Palaeogene extinction has been a subject for research among scientists, an event which three quarters of all the animal and plant species, including the dinosaurs, went to extinction 65 million years ago. The majority of researchers leaned to the concept that a sudden and catastrophic mechanism like an asteroid hit has triggered the die-off. Others, on the other hand, argue that the slow increase in CO2 emissions coming from volcanoes caused it, Washinton Post reported.
But the scientists in the United Kingdom and Yale offer a more definitive answer. According to Michael Henehan, lead author of a study published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, ocean acidification suggests volcanism has led to the extinction. As explained by Henehan, it is a process where the ocean absorbs CO2, becoming more acidic like what it is currently doing with the fossil fuel-derived CO2.
Together with his team, Henehan examined the sediments from the ocean to look for signs of dissolution that would show more acidic oceans. From this, they discovered that the beginning of volcanism caused a short ocean acidification. However, the pH drop which was caused by the CO2 release was well neutralized prior to the mass extinction, Ars Technica reported.
The study further suggests more understanding of the modern climate change, according to the researchers. They noted that it adds to a more body of work that implies restricting the CO2 release to a much lower and slower levels over thousands of years could allow the oceans to adapt. It also is said to prevent the most dangerous potential effects of ocean acidification. Moreover, the researchers also said that their work implies that the damage of marine ecosystems could have severe effects on Earth's climate.
See Now:
NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone
TagsDinosaur, Dinosaur discovery, Dinosaur discovery update, Dinosaur update, Dinosaur news, Dinosaur extiction, Dinosaur ocean acidification, Dinosaur volcanic erruptions, Dinosaur marine ecosystem ©2024 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.
More on SCIENCEwr
First Posted: May 02, 2016 04:10 AM EDT
Dinosaur extinction was not due to volcanic eruptions according to a new discovery. The data further suggests that the oceans have the ability to absorb large quantities of carbon dioxide when gradually released over an extremely long period.
The cause of Cretaceous-Palaeogene extinction has been a subject for research among scientists, an event which three quarters of all the animal and plant species, including the dinosaurs, went to extinction 65 million years ago. The majority of researchers leaned to the concept that a sudden and catastrophic mechanism like an asteroid hit has triggered the die-off. Others, on the other hand, argue that the slow increase in CO2 emissions coming from volcanoes caused it, Washinton Post reported.
But the scientists in the United Kingdom and Yale offer a more definitive answer. According to Michael Henehan, lead author of a study published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, ocean acidification suggests volcanism has led to the extinction. As explained by Henehan, it is a process where the ocean absorbs CO2, becoming more acidic like what it is currently doing with the fossil fuel-derived CO2.
Together with his team, Henehan examined the sediments from the ocean to look for signs of dissolution that would show more acidic oceans. From this, they discovered that the beginning of volcanism caused a short ocean acidification. However, the pH drop which was caused by the CO2 release was well neutralized prior to the mass extinction, Ars Technica reported.
The study further suggests more understanding of the modern climate change, according to the researchers. They noted that it adds to a more body of work that implies restricting the CO2 release to a much lower and slower levels over thousands of years could allow the oceans to adapt. It also is said to prevent the most dangerous potential effects of ocean acidification. Moreover, the researchers also said that their work implies that the damage of marine ecosystems could have severe effects on Earth's climate.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone