Scientists have uncovered new evidence that supports a major extinction event 200 million years ago, which was triggered by massive ocean acidification caused by volcanic CO2 releases. The discovery, published in Nature Communications, provides valuable insights into the past and serves as a warning for the present.
A team of researchers from the University of St Andrews and the University of Birmingham studied ancient oyster shells to reconstruct ocean pH levels during the Triassic-Jurassic boundary, around 201 million years ago. Their findings confirm that ocean acidification was real, rapid, and severe, with pH levels dropping by at least 0.3 units.
The researchers linked this drastic pH decline to a sharp rise in CO2 caused by widespread volcanic activity. As the supercontinent Pangaea began to break apart, enormous volcanic eruptions released huge amounts of carbon into the air, altering the climate and acidifying the oceans.
The study’s findings suggest that ocean acidification has played a role in at least three of the five biggest extinction events in Earth’s history. The rapid changes to Earth’s chemistry during these events destroyed ecosystems and slowed recovery for millions of years.
Today’s carbon emissions are being released into the atmosphere at an alarming rate, with human activities pumping carbon into the air on a scale of just a few hundred years. This compressed timeline leaves ocean life with far less time to adapt.
The lesson from the ancient extinction is clear: the carbon cycle can be thrown out of balance, and when it is, the consequences are massive. By understanding what caused ocean acidification in the past, scientists hope to better predict and possibly prevent similar damage in the future.
As climate change unfolds today, the fossil record is telling us that we’ve been here before. The difference? This time, we know it’s coming, and we have the tools to act.
Source: https://www.thebrighterside.news/post/scientists-discover-what-wiped-out-global-ocean-life-200-million-years-ago