Photo: W. Foster We can even grasp how animals that became extinct millions of years ago lived.
Photo: W. Foster We can even grasp how animals that became extinct millions of years ago lived. Volcanic eruptions in Siberia caused massive climate change 252 million years ago. Approximately 75 percent of all land organisms and 90 percent of all ocean organisms perished. The paleontologist Dr. William Foster at the Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN) has now decoded the causes of this mass extinction in the oceans. To do so, he relied on a new form of machine learning. The findings have now been published in the journal Paleobiology . A series of volcano eruptions in Siberia resulted in the largest mass extinction in history and massive greenhouse gas emissions. Temperatures rose 10 degrees over thousands of years. By analyzing the lives of extinct ocean organisms, Dr. William Foster and his team were able to trace back this mass extinction to 3 changes: oxygen loss in ocean water, increasing ocean temperatures, and most likely the acidification of the oceans. These changes resemble current developments. -The findings from the Permian, however, cannot be transferred to the present one-to-one. Earth's climate systems then and now are too different for that,- says Foster. -But we can show for the first time which characteristics were crucial to the extinction of certain organisms. This could provide clues about which animal groups are at risk in the future. The research team studied 1,283 ocean species whose fossilization could be precisely dated. To do this, they used a database with information about these organisms- living habits. They analyzed 12 aspects for each species. Was there a specific characteristic that made it more likely to survive the end of the Permian-or not?
TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT
And extend your reading, free of charge and with no commitment.
