Warming influences the earth over millions of years
Published: Friday, Aug 9th 2024, 17:00
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Major volcanic eruptions have led to massive global warming several times in the course of the Earth's history. An international study with Swiss participation shows how such events have had a long-term impact on the regenerative capacity of ecosystems and the climate.
The Earth has experienced several periods of intense volcanism during which large quantities of greenhouse gases were released into the atmosphere. This led to rapid global warming, which in extreme cases resulted in the mass extinction of species, as reported by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich) on Friday.
For the study published in the journal "Science", the Zurich scientists collaborated with colleagues from the Universities of Arizona, Leeds, Toulouse and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL). The research team used isotope analyses of sediments and compared this data with a computer model that depicts vegetation and its role in regulating the geological climate system.
Largest species extinction in history
The researchers investigated three major climate changes in the Earth's history, including the Siberian Trapp event around 252 million years ago. "The Siberian Trapp event released around 40,000 gigatons of carbon over a period of 200,000 years, which led to an increase in the global average temperature of five to ten degrees Celsius. This climate shock led to the greatest extinction of species in the Earth's history," Taras Gerya, Professor of Geophysics at ETH Zurich, is quoted as saying.
"It took several million years for the vegetation to recover from this event. During this phase, the Earth's carbon-climate regulatory system was probably weak and inefficient, which led to long-term global warming," Julian Rogger, PhD student and first author of the study, is quoted as saying.
"Our study shows how important functioning vegetation systems are for the earth to recover from climate change," emphasizes Loïc Pellissier, professor at ETH Zurich and WSL, who led the research.
"We humans are also the main cause of global deforestation, which severely limits the ability of natural ecosystems to regulate the climate. The global community should see our study as a wake-up call".
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