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Ocean acidification and the Permo-Triassic mass extinction

Clarkson, M. O. ; Kasemann, S. A. ; Wood, R. A. ; Lenton, T. M. ; Daines, S. J. ; Richoz, S. LU ; Ohnemueller, F. ; Meixner, A. ; Poulton, S. W. and Tipper, E. T. (2015) In Science 348(6231). p.229-232
Abstract

Ocean acidification triggered by Siberian Trap volcanism was a possible kill mechanism for the Permo-Triassic Boundary mass extinction, but direct evidence for an acidification event is lacking. We present a high-resolution seawater pH record across this interval, using boron isotope data combined with a quantitative modeling approach. In the latest Permian, increased ocean alkalinity primed the Earth system with a low level of atmospheric CO2 and a high ocean buffering capacity. The first phase of extinction was coincident with a slow injection of carbon into the atmosphere, and ocean pH remained stable. During the second extinction pulse, however, a rapid and large injection of carbon caused an abrupt acidification event... (More)

Ocean acidification triggered by Siberian Trap volcanism was a possible kill mechanism for the Permo-Triassic Boundary mass extinction, but direct evidence for an acidification event is lacking. We present a high-resolution seawater pH record across this interval, using boron isotope data combined with a quantitative modeling approach. In the latest Permian, increased ocean alkalinity primed the Earth system with a low level of atmospheric CO2 and a high ocean buffering capacity. The first phase of extinction was coincident with a slow injection of carbon into the atmosphere, and ocean pH remained stable. During the second extinction pulse, however, a rapid and large injection of carbon caused an abrupt acidification event that drove the preferential loss of heavily calcified marine biota.

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author
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publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
in
Science
volume
348
issue
6231
pages
4 pages
publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
external identifiers
  • pmid:25859043
  • scopus:84927592446
ISSN
0036-8075
DOI
10.1126/science.aaa0193
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
ef8d7c69-0589-4f2c-b800-d961e92de87e
date added to LUP
2019-05-09 15:14:48
date last changed
2024-07-09 12:07:46
@article{ef8d7c69-0589-4f2c-b800-d961e92de87e,
  abstract     = {{<p>Ocean acidification triggered by Siberian Trap volcanism was a possible kill mechanism for the Permo-Triassic Boundary mass extinction, but direct evidence for an acidification event is lacking. We present a high-resolution seawater pH record across this interval, using boron isotope data combined with a quantitative modeling approach. In the latest Permian, increased ocean alkalinity primed the Earth system with a low level of atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> and a high ocean buffering capacity. The first phase of extinction was coincident with a slow injection of carbon into the atmosphere, and ocean pH remained stable. During the second extinction pulse, however, a rapid and large injection of carbon caused an abrupt acidification event that drove the preferential loss of heavily calcified marine biota.</p>}},
  author       = {{Clarkson, M. O. and Kasemann, S. A. and Wood, R. A. and Lenton, T. M. and Daines, S. J. and Richoz, S. and Ohnemueller, F. and Meixner, A. and Poulton, S. W. and Tipper, E. T.}},
  issn         = {{0036-8075}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{04}},
  number       = {{6231}},
  pages        = {{229--232}},
  publisher    = {{American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)}},
  series       = {{Science}},
  title        = {{Ocean acidification and the Permo-Triassic mass extinction}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aaa0193}},
  doi          = {{10.1126/science.aaa0193}},
  volume       = {{348}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}