An interesting and informative read:

>>The worst time to be alive in Earth’s history is absolutely the end-Permian, about 250 million years ago. It is the period when the greatest-ever extinction took place, killing 97 percent of all species. The event was so severe it has been called The Great Dying.

The end-Permian extinction has generally been blamed on massive volcanic eruptions that took place at the same time. But now in a new analysis, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology argue that the mass extinction event may have been instigated by microbes. These microbes led to a perturbation of the carbon cycle that caused environmental shocks, such as global warming and ocean acidification. The shocks wiped out species in great numbers over a period of tens of thousands of years—a blip on geological scales.<<

More:
http://arstechnica.com/science/2014/04/a-new-microbe-might-have-accelerated-the-great-dying/

PermeateFree said:

An interesting and informative read:

>>The worst time to be alive in Earth’s history is absolutely the end-Permian, about 250 million years ago. It is the period when the greatest-ever extinction took place, killing 97 percent of all species. The event was so severe it has been called The Great Dying.

The end-Permian extinction has generally been blamed on massive volcanic eruptions that took place at the same time. But now in a new analysis, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology argue that the mass extinction event may have been instigated by microbes. These microbes led to a perturbation of the carbon cycle that caused environmental shocks, such as global warming and ocean acidification. The shocks wiped out species in great numbers over a period of tens of thousands of years—a blip on geological scales.<<

More:
http://arstechnica.com/science/2014/04/a-new-microbe-might-have-accelerated-the-great-dying/

Sounds like what we are about to do

So there were big volcanic eruptions too? They can be pretty devastating, even small ones can cause excess winter.

buffy said:

excess winter.

I’m not sure that you’re allowed to use those two words, in that order, whilst Alex is in attendance.

CrazyNeutrino said:

PermeateFree said:

An interesting and informative read:

>>The worst time to be alive in Earth’s history is absolutely the end-Permian, about 250 million years ago. It is the period when the greatest-ever extinction took place, killing 97 percent of all species. The event was so severe it has been called The Great Dying.

The end-Permian extinction has generally been blamed on massive volcanic eruptions that took place at the same time. But now in a new analysis, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology argue that the mass extinction event may have been instigated by microbes. These microbes led to a perturbation of the carbon cycle that caused environmental shocks, such as global warming and ocean acidification. The shocks wiped out species in great numbers over a period of tens of thousands of years—a blip on geological scales.<<

More:
http://arstechnica.com/science/2014/04/a-new-microbe-might-have-accelerated-the-great-dying/

Sounds like what we are about to do

Heading in the same direction, that’s for sure.

R13, innit?

buffy said:

So there were big volcanic eruptions too? They can be pretty devastating, even small ones can cause excess winter.

I think these were huge amounts of magma oozing from the ground rather than volcanic eruptions, so not so many explosions. but plenty of co2 for global warming.

OCDC said:

R13, innit?

Yes she certainly raises the temperature.

http://denimology.com/2011/12/r13_springsummer_2012_lookbook_pt_1raw

PermeateFree said:

OCDC said:

R13, innit?

Yes she certainly raises the temperature.

http://denimology.com/2011/12/r13_springsummer_2012_lookbook_pt_1raw

hmmm

PermeateFree said:

OCDC said:

R13, innit?

Yes she certainly raises the temperature.

http://denimology.com/2011/12/r13_springsummer_2012_lookbook_pt_1raw

Didn’t help much here. This room is 11ºC .

I think OCDC has broken the forum.

> The end-Permian extinction has generally been blamed on massive volcanic eruptions that took place at the same time.

So far as I can tell, every major extinction event on the Earth has been associated with massive volcanic eruptions at about the same time, though that isn’t the only explanation for some extinctions.

Massive volcanic eruptions put so much sulfur dioxide and similar gases into the air that everything that breathes air (including ammonites, near-surface fish, plesiosaurs, non-hibernating animals, Ediacaran fauna, non-hibernating plants and fungi) suffocated.

mollwollfumble said:

> The end-Permian extinction has generally been blamed on massive volcanic eruptions that took place at the same time.

So far as I can tell, every major extinction event on the Earth has been associated with massive volcanic eruptions at about the same time, though that isn’t the only explanation for some extinctions.

Massive volcanic eruptions put so much sulfur dioxide and similar gases into the air that everything that breathes air (including ammonites, near-surface fish, plesiosaurs, non-hibernating animals, Ediacaran fauna, non-hibernating plants and fungi) suffocated.

Extreme climate change has been responsible for most mass extinctions. Why the climate actually changed can be attributed to many factors and no doubt several at the same time, not unlike the article and subject of this thread. Widespread suffocation is largely restricted to the oceans and waterways and is due to stratification and the lack of oxygen in the water column, and is probably why the ammonites and other aquatic life went extinct.

>>Oxygen depletion, is a phenomenon that occurs in aquatic environments as dissolved oxygen (DO; molecular oxygen dissolved in the water) becomes reduced in concentration to a point where it becomes detrimental to aquatic organisms living in the system. Dissolved oxygen is typically expressed as a percentage of the oxygen that would dissolve in the water at the prevailing temperature and salinity (both of which affect the solubility of oxygen in water; see oxygen saturation and underwater). An aquatic system lacking dissolved oxygen (0% saturation) is termed anaerobic, reducing, or anoxic; a system with low concentration—in the range between 1 and 30% saturation—is called hypoxic or dysoxic. Most fish cannot live below 30% saturation. A “healthy” aquatic environment should seldom experience less than 80%. The exaerobic zone is found at the boundary of anoxic and hypoxic zones.

Where hypoxia occurs

Hypoxia can occur throughout the water column and also at high altitudes as well as near sediments on the bottom. It usually extends throughout 20-50% of the water column, but depending on the water depth and location of pycnoclines (rapid changes in water density with depth). It can occur in 10-80% of the water column. For example, in a 10-meter water column, it can reach up to 2 meters below the surface. In a 20-meter water column, it can extend up to 8 meters below the surface.<<

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypoxia_(environmental)

Hardly a new analysis. They published all this back in 2012.

http://www.livescience.com/25253-bacteria-permian-extinction.html

morrie said:

Hardly a new analysis. They published all this back in 2012.

http://www.livescience.com/25253-bacteria-permian-extinction.html

Well I didn’t see it and I bet neither did you. So why don’t you just appreciate the information.