Climate change: What is it and what caused the great dying?

Contents

1. Introduction. 3
2. Significance of the Study. 3
3. Summary off Literature Review.. 3
4. Problem Statement 4
5. Study Objectives. 5
6. Methodology. 5
7. Conclusion. 5

1.     Introduction

Climate change is a phenomenon with real and detrimental consequences to the environment[1]. Currently, particular areas of the globe such as those close to the equator are expending prolonged droughts due to heat waves and the melting of the polar ice sheets that has increased sea water levels consequently affecting the freshwater tables[2].  The world is changing due to increased temperatures and the lack of swift action regarding the mitigation of this situation may lead to a catastrophe[3].

2.     The Significance of the Study

Justin Penn, a professor of Oceanography at the University of Washington, recently published a report that indicated that climate change, regardless of whether it is caused by the Siberian eruptions or carbon fumes from the industrial age, can cause disastrous extinction just as detrimental as or somewhat worse than the asteroid impact[4]. In the study, Penn and his peers determine that the rise in ocean temperatures as well as the hypoxia, which was a consequence of global warming, were the causes of ‘The Great Dying’ as well as other mass species exterminations for years. If this information is true and unchallenged, there is clear reason to believe that the current trends of global warming may have a similar effect.

3.     Summary of Literature Review

About 252 million years ago the world experienced horrific mass extinction, an event that was considered the worst in history considering that  about 80% of the all land species died, with the inclusion of 96% of the ocean species[5]. As more information about the ‘Great Dying’ continues to be discovered, parallels between the cause of this dreadful, planet-changing event and the global warming that is being experienced today become ever clearer. During ‘the Great Dying’, the average global temperature went up by an estimated 10C^o (18F); subsequently, the oceans lost about 80% its oxygen with some parts particularly in the deepest seas becoming completely oxygen-free[6]. The acute rise in increasing temperature was a result of volcanic activity[7]. The increase in temperature has a negative effect in oxygen levels the water; however, the results did not support the analogy of a global scale event.

4.     Problem Statement

The premise that the greenhouse gases from numerous volcanic activities caused an increase in temperature is true because of the events happening in the planet Venus. Additionally, new research found that the drop in oxygen levels was particularly deadly for marine animals living closer to the poles[8]. However, over the past century, the average global temperature has gone up by around 1C^o due to the release of greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal rather than from volcanic eruptions. Meaning the ‘Great Dying’ event happened over an uncertain period, possibly hundreds of years.  It is hard to gather the proof from an event that happened over 250 million years ago. Evidence from events that happened long ago are hidden sub ducted rocks, which are at times impossible to extract. Currently, there is no concrete evidence to back the premise presented about global warming such as an enormous crater. Nevertheless, this does not set the precedence of dismissing the analogy that the greatest mass extermination was not caused by global warming. The study proposed will collect the bits and pieces of proof particularly convincing fossil evidence presenting the distribution of the marine species that went extinct during ‘the Great Dying’ as opposed to those that did not.

5.     Study Objectives

The study aims;

1. To provide a better understanding of the drivers that led to the ‘Great Dying’
2. To provide information on the distribution of the marine species that were affected by the increase in ocean temperature.
3. To evaluate the link between the conditions that led to the great dying and the current global warming situation.

6.     Methodology

The current study will be conducted using secondary quantitative data from the previous researches on both the current global warming conditions as well as ‘the Great Dying’. This data will be analyzed and presented in tables as graphs that will be later analyzed. The results will be discussed and an answer provided by the end of the study.

7.     Conclusion

Over the last half a century, the world has been going through constant global change due to the increase in carbon emissions from carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses that have been accumulating since the beginning of the industrial age. Effects of these changes have been visible and detrimental in different degrees. Nevertheless, from the information provided by Dr. Justin Penn, there is global warming is considered the main trigger of mass extinction. There is a need for further studies and researches that this paper aims to meet.

Bibliography

Hardy, J. T. 2003. Climate Change: Causes, Effects, and Solutions. Chichester, West Sussex, England: J. Wiley.

Houghton, J.T., Ding, Y.D.J.G., Griggs, D.J., Noguer, M., van der Linden, P.J., Dai, X., Maskell, K. and Johnson, C.A., 2001. Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis. The Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge.

Penn, Justin L., Curtis Deutsch, Jonathan L. Payne, and Erik A. Sperling. “Temperature-Dependent Hypoxia Explains Biogeography and Severity of End-Permian Marine Mass Extinction.” Science 362, no. 6419 (2018): eaat1327.

Yamaguchi, Mitsutsune. 2012. Climate Change Mitigation: A Balanced Approach to Climate Change. London: Springer. Retrieved from http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=994206.

 

[1] Houghton, et al. Climate change 2001: the scientific basis. The Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge, 2001.

[2] Hardy, J. T. 2003. Climate change: causes, effects, and solutions. Chichester, West Sussex, England: J. Wiley.

[3] Yamaguchi, Mitsutsune. 2012. Climate change mitigation: a balanced approach to climate change. London: Springer.

[4] Penn, Justin L., et al. “Temperature-dependent hypoxia explains biogeography and severity of end-Permian marine mass extinction.” Science 362.6419 (2018): eaat1327.

[5] Penn, Justin L., et al. “Temperature-dependent hypoxia explains biogeography and severity of end-Permian marine mass extinction.” Science 362.6419 (2018): eaat1327.

[6] Yamaguchi, Mitsutsune. 2012. Climate change mitigation: a balanced approach to climate change. London: Springer

[7] Hardy, J. T. 2003. Climate change: causes, effects, and solutions. Chichester, West Sussex, England: J. Wiley.

[8] Hardy, J. T. 2003. Climate change: causes, effects, and solutions. Chichester, West Sussex, England: J. Wiley.