Earth & Space
The impact of climate change on marine life in ocean depths
Lessons from past warm periods in the Earth's history reveal that climate and atmospheric changes could lead to more intense seasonal rainfall, disturbing immense sedimentary systems, from mountain tops to ocean floors. Great amounts of transported clays are likely to cause muddy waters in the depths of oceans, making them uninhabitable for most marine species.

Historically, the Earth has known periods that were both colder and warmer than today. A better understanding of past climate dynamics will improve the modelling of upcoming changes. The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) is one of the greatest (+5-8°C) and fastest (5,000 years) climate warming event in the recent Earth's history that occurred 56 million years ago. It would have been triggered by a high concentration of two greenhouse gases, the famous CO2 (carbon dioxide) and methane. The origin of these emissions is still debated, and several phenomena have been evoked to explain it: a bustling volcanism in the North Atlantic, the release of methane hydrates trapped within the permafrost through its sudden melting, and a meteorite impact.
Read also the press release from the University of Geneva
Original Article:
Edited by:
Arshia Ruina , Senior Scientific Editor
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