Latest news with #BenjaminMills
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
'The Great Dying' mass extinction was a warning from the trees, study says
It happened before, and could happen again…. That's the message in a new study about the catastrophic collapse of Earth's tropical forests due to natural volcanic causes 252 million years ago. The collapse of tropical forests was the primary cause of the prolonged global warming that followed, according to a new study published July 2 in the British journal Nature Communications. This coincided with a mass extinction, likely the worst in Earth's history. 'There is a warning here about the importance of Earth's present-day tropical forests," study co-author and University of Leeds professor Benjamin Mills said, in a statement: "If rapid warming causes them to collapse in a similar manner, then we should not expect our climate to cool to preindustrial levels, even if we stop emitting CO2. 'Indeed, warming could continue to accelerate in this case even if we reach zero human emissions. We will have fundamentally changed the carbon cycle in a way that can take geological timescales to recover, which has happened in Earth's past.' The huge climate changes back then occurred during the Permian–Triassic Mass Extinction – sometimes referred to as the "Great Dying," which happened around 252 million years ago, leading to the massive loss of marine species and significant declines in terrestrial plants and animals. The event has been attributed to intense global warming triggered by a period of volcanic activity in Siberia, known as the Siberian Traps, the study says. This rapid increase in carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere and the resulting temperature increase is thought to be the primary kill mechanism for much of life at the time, according to the Conversation. However, scientists had been unable to pinpoint why super-greenhouse conditions persisted for around five million years afterwards. Now, in the new study, researchers have gathered data that supports the theory that the demise of tropical forests, and their slow recovery, limited carbon sequestration – a process where carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and held in plants, soils or minerals. Our current understanding is that it was high temperatures which resulted from huge volcanic carbon dioxide emissions over thousands of years, Mills said in an e-mail to USA TODAY. "This volcanic event is called the Siberian Traps and may be the biggest to ever have occurred." "Yes," Mills said, adding that the climate had already warmed, which initially caused the tropical forests to die back, but the removal of forests took away one of the planet's most important carbon removal processes – photosynthesis. The lack of this "carbon sink" caused CO2 levels to build up even further, which drove excess warming. "While the climate is currently warming (and is doing so faster than during the event 252 million years ago), we are not yet at the temperature where tropical forests are expected to reach a tipping point and transition into a carbon source rather than sink," Mills told USA TODAY. "So it is not happening now, but we may not be that far away." We have warmed the planet by about 1 degree C since the Industrial Revolution, and estimates for Amazon rainforest tipping points range from 2 to 6 degrees C. It is hard to estimate this accurately. The Triassic super-greenhouse took thousands of years to establish, but because we are emitting carbon dioxide much more quickly than in the deep past, we might expect effects to begin to occur "over hundreds of years," Mills said. "To see 'super greenhouse' conditions we would need to remove almost all of the tropical forested area. It is debatable whether this could occur in the present day where the plants are different, and the shape of the continents is different than in the past. But personally I do not want us to run this experiment!" Speaking about the new study, co-author Jianxin Yu of the China University of Geosciences added: 'Let's make sure our work transcends academia: it is a responsibility to all life on Earth, today and beyond." "Earth's story is still being written, and we all have a role in shaping its next chapter," Yu said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Forest loss fueled 'Great Dying' mass extinction, study says
USA Today
04-07-2025
- Science
- USA Today
'The Great Dying' mass extinction was a warning from the trees, study says
As climate change threatens tropical forests, a new study shows how the loss of those forests can be devastating to life on Earth. It happened before, and could happen again…. That's the message in a new study about the catastrophic collapse of Earth's tropical forests due to natural volcanic causes 252 million years ago. The collapse of tropical forests was the primary cause of the prolonged global warming that followed, according to a new study published July 2 in the British journal Nature Communications. This coincided with a mass extinction, likely the worst in Earth's history. 'There is a warning here about the importance of Earth's present-day tropical forests," study co-author and University of Leeds professor Benjamin Mills said, in a statement: "If rapid warming causes them to collapse in a similar manner, then we should not expect our climate to cool to preindustrial levels, even if we stop emitting CO2. 'Indeed, warming could continue to accelerate in this case even if we reach zero human emissions. We will have fundamentally changed the carbon cycle in a way that can take geological timescales to recover, which has happened in Earth's past.' 'The Great Dying' The huge climate changes back then occurred during the Permian–Triassic Mass Extinction – sometimes referred to as the "Great Dying," which happened around 252 million years ago, leading to the massive loss of marine species and significant declines in terrestrial plants and animals. The event has been attributed to intense global warming triggered by a period of volcanic activity in Siberia, known as the Siberian Traps, the study says. This rapid increase in carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere and the resulting temperature increase is thought to be the primary kill mechanism for much of life at the time, according to the Conversation. However, scientists had been unable to pinpoint why super-greenhouse conditions persisted for around five million years afterwards. Now, in the new study, researchers have gathered data that supports the theory that the demise of tropical forests, and their slow recovery, limited carbon sequestration – a process where carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and held in plants, soils or minerals. What caused Earth's tropical forests to collapse 252 million years ago? Our current understanding is that it was high temperatures which resulted from huge volcanic carbon dioxide emissions over thousands of years, Mills said in an e-mail to USA TODAY. "This volcanic event is called the Siberian Traps and may be the biggest to ever have occurred." Did the lack of tropical forests cause the climate to change? "Yes," Mills said, adding that the climate had already warmed, which initially caused the tropical forests to die back, but the removal of forests took away one of the planet's most important carbon removal processes – photosynthesis. The lack of this "carbon sink" caused CO2 levels to build up even further, which drove excess warming. Is this happening now? Could it happen again? "While the climate is currently warming (and is doing so faster than during the event 252 million years ago), we are not yet at the temperature where tropical forests are expected to reach a tipping point and transition into a carbon source rather than sink," Mills told USA TODAY. "So it is not happening now, but we may not be that far away." We have warmed the planet by about 1 degree C since the Industrial Revolution, and estimates for Amazon rainforest tipping points range from 2 to 6 degrees C. It is hard to estimate this accurately. How soon would the climate change after the tropical forests collapse? The Triassic super-greenhouse took thousands of years to establish, but because we are emitting carbon dioxide much more quickly than in the deep past, we might expect effects to begin to occur "over hundreds of years," Mills said. "To see 'super greenhouse' conditions we would need to remove almost all of the tropical forested area. It is debatable whether this could occur in the present day where the plants are different, and the shape of the continents is different than in the past. But personally I do not want us to run this experiment!" Speaking about the new study, co-author Jianxin Yu of the China University of Geosciences added: 'Let's make sure our work transcends academia: it is a responsibility to all life on Earth, today and beyond." "Earth's story is still being written, and we all have a role in shaping its next chapter," Yu said.
NDTV
03-07-2025
- Science
- NDTV
What Kept Earth Boiling After The Great Dying? Scientists Reveal Mystery
New Delhi: A team of researchers believes they have understood why Earth remained in a state of extreme heat and harsh temperatures for 5 million years following the Great Dying. The catastrophic event, which occurred 252 million years ago, wiped out nearly 90 per cent of all life on Earth, both on land and in the oceans, reported CNN. According to the findings published in Nature, the Great Dying happened due to massive volcanic eruptions in the Siberian Traps. These volcanoes released huge amounts of carbon and other gases that made the situation worse, causing intense global warming. The research showed the extreme heat in the atmosphere caused oceans to become acidic, ecosystems to collapse and massive deaths of marine and land-based plants and animals. But scientists still do not know the exact reason behind global warming, even after volcanoes stopped erupting. Zhen Xu, a study author and a research fellow at the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds, told CNN, "The level of warming is far beyond any other event." Some believe the long-lasting heat after the Great Dying is connected to changes in the oceans, as extreme heat killed plankton, the tiny ocean creatures that usually absorb carbon dioxide from the air. So, without their existence, more carbon stayed in the atmosphere. Others say the extreme heat is linked to a climate tipping point, as the Great Dying collapsed tropical forests. Benjamin Mills, a study author and a professor of Earth system evolution at the University of Leeds, called the catastrophic event unique because "it's the only one in which the plants all die off." To better understand, the Chinese geologists studied fossils and rock layers, created maps of plants and animals living before, during, and after the mass extinction. Their research confirmed that the reason behind Earth's extreme heat was due to the loss of vegetation, one of the best ways to absorb and store carbon dioxide. Mr Mills told CNN that once the forests die, you're changing the carbon cycle. Michael Benton, a palaeontology professor at the University of Bristol, who wasn't part of the study, told CNN that the absence of forests really impacts the natural oxygen-carbon cycles. Without them, the carbon isn't buried properly, keeping high levels of it in the atmosphere over a prolonged period. The study also warned that the Earth could face a similar disaster in the near future, as humans are now heating up the planet by burning fossil fuels. Scientists said that even if humans completely stopped releasing pollution that heats up the planet, the Earth might still not cool down. In fact, global warming may become even worse as natural systems like forests and oceans are already being damaged.
CNN
02-07-2025
- Science
- CNN
The ‘Great Dying' wiped out 90% of life, then came 5 million years of lethal heat. New fossils explain why
Around 252 million years ago, life on Earth suffered its most catastrophic blow to date: a mass extinction event known as the 'Great Dying' that wiped out around 90% of life. What followed has long puzzled scientists. The planet became lethally hot and remained so for 5 million years. A team of international researchers say they have now figured out why using a vast trove of fossils — and it all revolves around tropical forests. Their findings, published Wednesday in the journal Nature Communications, may help solve a mystery, but they also spell out a dire warning for the future as humans continue to heat up the planet by burning fossil fuels. The Great Dying was the worst of the five mass extinction events that have punctuated Earth's history, and it marked the end of the Permian geological period. It has been attributed to a period of volcanic activity in a region known as the Siberian Traps, which released huge amounts of carbon and other planet-heating gases into the atmosphere, causing intense global warming. Enormous numbers of marine and land-based plants and animals died, ecosystems collapsed and oceans acidified. What has been less clear, however, is why it got so hot and why 'super greenhouse' conditions persisted for so long, even after volcanic activity ceased. 'The level of warming is far beyond any other event,' said Zhen Xu, a study author and a research fellow at the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds. Some theories revolve around the ocean and the idea that extreme heat wiped out carbon-absorbing plankton, or changed the ocean's chemical composition to make it less effective at storing carbon. But scientists from the University of Leeds in England and the China University of Geosciences thought the answer may lie in a climate tipping point: the collapse of tropical forests. The Great Dying extinction event is unique 'because it's the only one in which the plants all die off,' said Benjamin Mills, a study author and a professor of Earth system evolution at the University of Leeds. To test the theory, they used an archive of fossil data in China that has been put together over decades by three generations of Chinese geologists. They analyzed the fossils and rock formations to get clues about climate conditions in the past, allowing them to reconstruct maps of plants and trees living on each part of the planet before, during and after the extinction event. 'Nobody's ever done that before,' Mills told CNN. The results confirmed their hypothesis, showing that the loss of vegetation during the mass extinction event significantly reduced the planet's ability to store carbon, meaning very high levels remained in the atmosphere. Forests are a vital climate buffer as they suck up and store planet-heating carbon. They also play a crucial role in 'silicate weathering,' a chemical process involving rocks and rainwater — a key way of removing carbon from the atmosphere. Tree and plant roots help this process by breaking up rock and allowing fresh water and air to reach it. Once the forests die, 'you're changing the carbon cycle,' Mills said, referring to the way carbon moves around the Earth, between the atmosphere, land, oceans and living organisms. Michael Benton, a professor of paleontology at the University of Bristol, who was not involved in the study, said the research shows 'the absence of forests really impacts the regular oxygen-carbon cycles and suppresses carbon burial and so high levels of CO2 remain in the atmosphere over prolonged periods,' he told CNN. It highlights 'a threshold effect,' he added, where the loss of forests becomes 'irreversible on ecological time scales.' Global politics currently revolve around the idea that if carbon dioxide levels can be controlled, damage can be reversed. 'But at the threshold, it then becomes hard for life to recover,' Benton said. This is a key takeaway from the study, Mills said. It shows what might happen if rapid global warming causes the planet's rainforests to collapse in the future — a tipping point scientists are very concerned about. Even if humans stop pumping out planet-heating pollution altogether, the Earth may not cool. In fact, warming could accelerate, he said. There is a sliver of hope: The rainforests that currently carpet the tropics may be more resilient to high temperatures than those that existed before the Great Dying. This is the question the scientists are tackling next. This study is still a warning, Mills said. 'There is a tipping point there. If you warm tropical forests too much, then we have a very good record of what happens. And it's extremely bad.'
Forbes
30-06-2025
- Science
- Forbes
NASA Study Finds Surprising Link Between Magnetic Field And Earth's Oxygen Levels
For 540 million years, Earth's magnetic field has correlated with fluctuations in atmospheric ... More oxygen, according to a newly released study. For 540 million years, the ebb and flow in the strength of Earth's magnetic field has correlated with fluctuations in atmospheric oxygen, according to a newly released analysis by NASA scientists. The research suggests that processes deep inside the Earth might influence habitability on the planet's surface. Earth's early atmosphere was mainly a toxic mix of carbon dioxide, nitrogen and water vapor. Then, between 2.4 billion and 400 million years ago, oxygen levels began to increase exponentially, maybe triggered by an intense phase of volcanic degassing or the emergence of the first photosynthetic microorganisms, able to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Scientists can deduce historic oxygen levels by analyzing ancient rocks (like Banded Iron Formations) because their chemical composition depend on the amount of oxygen available when they were formed. "Tiger Iron" from the Ord Ranges near Port Hedland in Western Australia´s Pilbara region. Such ... More Banded Iron Formations formed when in the sea dissolved iron reacted with free oxygen, a byproduct of the metabolism of the first photosynthetic life-forms on Earth. The oldest evidence of Earth's magnetic field comes from 3.7-billion-year-old rocks preserved in Greenland. The history of the Earth's magnetic field is recorded in magnetized minerals. When minerals that rise with magma at gaps between spreading tectonic plates cool down, they freeze into place, preserving the direction and strength of the surrounding magnetic field. The origin of Earth's magnetic field is not yet fully understood. However, it is widely believed that circulating currents within the molten iron-nickel alloy of the Earth's outer core generate and sustain the field through a process known as geodynamo. Because the flow is not perfectly stable, the magnetic field fluctuates over time. For the first time, comparing the two separate datasets, a research team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and University of Leeds, U.K., found that Earth's magnetic field has followed similar rising and falling patterns as oxygen in the atmosphere for nearly a half billion years. Correlating curves of Earth's magnetic field strength (in red) and atmospheric oxygen levels (in ... More blue) over the past 500 million years. The solid lines are the mean values, and the banded regions are the data uncertainties. 'This correlation raises the possibility that both the magnetic field strength and the atmospheric oxygen level are responding to a single underlying process, ' explains study coauthor Benjamin Mills, a biogeochemist at the University of Leeds. As for the specific causes linking Earth's geodynamo to atmospheric oxygen levels the scientists can only speculate. For example, the growth and fragmentation of continents during a magnetic fluctuation can influence global weathering rates, a process that removes oxygen from the atmosphere. The researchers hope to examine longer datasets to see if the correlation extends farther back in time. They also plan to investigate the historic abundance of other chemicals essential for life as we know it, such as nitrogen, to determine whether they also support these patterns. The study,"Strong link between Earth's oxygen level and geomagnetic dipole revealed since the last 540 million years," was published in the journal Science Advances. Additional material and interviews provided by NASA.
