The greatest mass extinction event that ended the Permian period also saw the contribution of microbes spewing toxic and harmful gases, according to a new study. The Permian-Triassic extinction, often touted as ‘Great Dying,’ was the deadliest period on Earth. The planet witnessed the death of as much as 90% of all species living underwater and on land. The extinction that took place roughly 250 million years ago was initially thought to be caused by major volcanic eruptions, which raised the ocean levels and the temperature on the planet.
A team of researchers at the University of California – Riverside - has devised a new study that suggests the heat caused by the deadly eruptions made catalysed the metabolism of the microbes. As a result, the deadly conditions prevailed, and the extinction prolonged beyond its natural course.
According to the study, the microbes, after using up all the oxygen in the process of decomposition, started consuming sulfate and releasing a stinky and toxic gas called Hydrogen Sulfide. The gas made the living conditions unbearable as it smelled like rotten eggs and was poisonous in nature.
As the process caught momentum, it created several inhabitable zones underwater due to euxinic conditions, which occurs when the water is both anoxic and sulfidic. These zones can be detected with the help of chemical signatures in the sediment samples.
“Our research shows the entire ocean wasn’t euxinic. These conditions began in the deeper parts of the water column. As temperatures increased, the euxinic zones got larger, more toxic, and moved up the water column into the shelf environment where most marine animals lived, poisoning them,” said Dominik Hulse, Earth system modeler, UC Riverside, in a press release.
It is a matter of concern that euxinic zones still persist as the problem of oxygen depletion is prevalent on Earth and is getting worse as we head towards the future. However, the aspects associated with climate change seem to contribute to the speeding up of the process.
Through the study, researchers also found that the ocean’s interaction with the proliferated amount of Carbon Dioxide is more critical than initially thought.
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