Global warming fueled rampant overgrowth of microbes at the end of the Permian period. Such lethal blooms may be on the rise again
At sunrise on a summer day in Australia, about an hour's drive from Sydney, we clambered northward along the base of a cliff on a mission. We were searching for rocks that we hoped would contain clues to the darkest chapter in our planet's history.
From our vantage point on the outcrop, we could see our first hint of ancient devastation: the absence of coal beds in the towering sandstone cliffs above us. During our dawn scramble across the rocks, we had spotted numerous coal beds sandwiched between the sandstones and mudstones in the lower rock levels. These coals date to the late Permian . They represent the compacted remains of the swamp forests that existed across a vast belt of the southern supercontinent Gondwana.
All organisms must bend to the forces of nature. Like our ancestors that survived the end-Permian event, we sought a reprieve from the punishing temperatures during our fieldwork. Fortunately, we had to hide for just a few hours before we could emerge. But what if the insufferable heat had lasted months— or millennia?
Insights came from analyses of the other two samples. The age estimates revealed that the ecosystem collapse coincided with the first rumblings of tremendous volcanic eruptions in a “large igneous province” known as the Siberian Traps, in what is now Russia. The term “volcanic” seems inadequate in this context; the volume of magma in the Siberian Traps was a whopping several million cubic kilometers. Thus, the Siberian Traps province is to a volcano as a tsunami is to a ripple in your bathtub.
From the precious little previously published data we found on freshwater systems during other mass extinctions, the pattern held up. So far, so good. But the best sign that we were onto something significant came when we placed the end-Permian event, along with the others, on a spectrum from least to most severe. The extinctions appeared to show a “dose- response relationship.” This term is often used to describe the reaction of an organism to an external stimulus, such as a drug or a virus.
Wildfires can exacerbate this problem. In a warming world, droughts intensify, and outbreaks of fire become more common even in moisture-rich environments, such as the peat forests of Indonesia and the Pantanal wetlands of South America. Wildfires not only increase nutrient levels in water by exposing the soil and enhancing nutrient runoff into the streams, but they also throw immense quantities of soot and micronutrients into the atmosphere, which then land in oceans and waterways.
México Últimas Noticias, México Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
Your Gateway to Global Design at FIND — Design Fair AsiaFIND — Design Fair Asia brings together the best of Italian and Singapore designs with over 500 leading brands joining and is a testament to both nations' commitment in nurturing new design talents.
Leer más »
European Stocks Head for Higher Open as Global Markets Look for Gains After RoutEuropean stocks are expected to open higher on Tuesday as global markets look to cement gains after a bruising week for stocks last week.
Leer más »
UT Health San Antonio on global team discovering Alzheimer’s cluesSPONSORED: Alzheimer's researchers at UT Health San Antonio contributed to a recent global study on gene variants found in the disease.
Leer más »
Türkiye: Inflationary pressures alive due to both domestic and global factors – BBVAThe Consumer Price Index Türkiye rose in June by 4.98%, and the annual rate approached 8%. The Research Department at BBVA expects consumer inflation
Leer más »
Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Measuring War’s Effect on a Global BreadbasketNASA Harvest scientists use satellite observations and economic data to track how the Russia-Ukraine conflict is disrupting the global food system. When farmers in Ukraine planted wheat, canola, barley, and rye in the autumn of 2021, their worries were relatively routine: would dry weather or inc
Leer más »
Global Music Streamer Deezer Goes Public, Stock PlungesStock in France-based Deezer, a rival to Spotify and Apple Music, began trading on the Euronext Paris stock exchange after a merger with I2PO SPAC.
Leer más »