Is our death from a hydrogen sulfide event inevitable in climate warming?
7 days ago
- #mass extinction
- #hydrogen sulfide
- #Permian
- Volcanic eruptions in Siberia 251 million years ago may have triggered the largest mass extinction in Earth's history.
- The eruptions led to high hydrogen sulfide levels in the oceans and atmosphere, causing mass extinctions.
- Warming from volcanic CO2 reduced oceanic oxygen, leading to anaerobic conditions and hydrogen sulfide production.
- Hydrogen sulfide is toxic to aerobic organisms and could have killed most oceanic and terrestrial life.
- The hydrogen sulfide atmosphere also damaged the ozone layer, increasing UV radiation.
- Researchers are looking for biomarkers of photosynthetic sulfur bacteria to confirm hydrogen sulfide's role in the extinction.