Latest news with #SchoolofEarthandEnvironment
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.'
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Wolves should be reintroduced to Scotland ‘to help hit net zero'
Wolves should be reintroduced to the Scottish Highlands to help meet net zero, researchers have suggested. Reintroducing the species could help curb the population of red deer, which limit the spread of native woodland by eating tree saplings, according to a study published on Monday in the Ecological Solutions and Evidence journal. A million tonnes of carbon could be removed from the atmosphere if the woodland around the Cairngorms, south-west, north-west and central Highlands was allowed to naturally regenerate, the study found. This would contribute around five per cent of the UK's carbon removal target to help offset emissions from elsewhere in the economy. Wolves were eradicated from Scotland around 250 years ago, leaving the red deer population with no natural predators. Red deer numbers have since shot up to around 400,000 in Scotland, despite efforts to keep the population under control by human intervention. The deer eat tree saplings, limiting the spread of woodland, which has been identified as vital in helping the UK meet its target to be net zero, meaning carbon neutral, by 2050. The research, led by scientists at the University of Leeds, is the first to calculate the impact reintroducing wolves would have on woodland expansion and carbon storage in the UK. 'There is an increasing acknowledgement that the climate and biodiversity crises cannot be managed in isolation,' said lead author Professor Dominick Spracklen, from the university's School of Earth and Environment. 'We need to look at the potential role of natural processes such as the reintroduction of species to recover our degraded ecosystems and these in turn can deliver co-benefits for climate and nature recovery.' The researchers said only four per cent of Scotland is covered by woodland today, making it one of the least forested places in Europe. Farming and rural groups have rejected any proposals to reintroduce wolves or other large predators, arguing they would kill livestock and pose a threat to people in the countryside. The return of wolves in parts of Europe has proved controversial, particularly after a wolf killed a horse belonging to Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission. Wolves kill between 30,000 and 40,000 livestock animals in Europe every year, the majority of which are sheep. Lee Schofield, a co-author of the study, said: 'Our aim is to provide new information to inform ongoing and future discussions about the possibility of wolf reintroductions both in the UK and elsewhere. 'We recognise that substantial and wide-ranging stakeholder and public engagement would clearly be essential before any wolf reintroduction could be considered. 'Human-wildlife conflicts involving carnivores are common and must be addressed through public policies that account for people's attitudes for a reintroduction to be successful.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
