EEB 2222E Climate Change and Mass extinctions

What is the common element linking deep-time climate disasters?

CO2

Higher CO2 means..

Warmer world

Lower CO2 means..

colder world

What is the nickname for the end-permian?

The Great Dying

When did the end-permian happen?

252 million years ago

What happened during the end-permian?

90% of marine and land species lost, food webs collapsed

Why does the end-permian matter?

linked to rapid CO2 warming, oceans lost oxygen, warning about cascading change, multiple stresses

Who survived the end-permian?

small-bodied generalist species, stress-tolerant lifestyles

What happened during the end-cretaceous?

An asteroid hit the Yucatán Peninsula

What were the effects of the end-cretaceous?

75% of all species lost, including all non-avian dinosaurs

Why is the end-cretaceous different?

Not a CO2 warming story, blockage of sunlight ended photosynthesis

Who survived the end-cretaceous?

detritivores, seed-eaters, burrowers, small mammals

What does the PETM stand for?

Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum

What happened during the PETM?

A massive carbon pulse realeased hella carbon, likely from volcanism and carbon from sediments

How much did the earth warm after the PETM?

about 5-8 degrees

What happened during the snowball earth?

CO2 fell low enough that ice reached the tropics

How did the snowball earth end?

Volcanoes kept erupting under the ice

What does deep time teach us?

rate is the danger, cascades happen, the long tail is real, thresholds exist

What is deep time?

millions to billions of years of Earth history