Biggest Mass Extinction Caused by Global Warming Leaving Ocean Animals Gasping for Breath

1. Examining the Extinction Event in the Permian Period

96% of marine species went extinct during the Permian period. Using models of ocean conditions and animal metabolism with palaeoceanographic information and lab data, Stanford and Washington University endeavored on finding what caused these deaths. They ran climate models of environmental conditions of the Permian Period. They replicated the greenhouse gas conditions which replicated the reduced oxygen levels of the time (Hickey, “Biggest mass extinction caused by global warming leaving ocean animals gasping for breath”). They investigated the varying oxygen and temperature effects on 61 species including sharks, crustaceans and fish. Also, Jonathan Payne and Erik Sperling evaluated late-Permian fossils distributions to find out the location of species during the extinction.

2. Impact of Oxygen Depletion on Marine Life

The researchers’ model reproduced the changes caused by volcanic eruptions which led to oceans losing 80% of oxygen. Almost half of the ocean seafloor, especially deeper depths, were devoid of oxygen (Hickey, “Biggest mass extinction caused by global warming leaving ocean animals gasping for breath”). Their model revealed that tropical and high latitude animals especially those requiring high oxygen amounts went extinct. Species living in the poles were the most affected.

3. The Consequences of Ignoring Global Warming

In recent years, global warming has become a controversial topic in the community. Unfortunately, leaders and society continue to ignore the possible negative consequences of global warming. These findings can shed further light on the severe effects of global warming and inform the public of the need to protect the environment.

Works Cited

Hickey, Hannah. Biggest mass extinction caused by global warming leaving ocean animals           gasping for breath. ScienceDaily. 6 December 2018, https://www.sciencedaily.com/          releases/2018/12/181206141225.htm. Accessed 10 December 2018.