Acid Rain And Ozone Depletion 250 Million Years Ago Caused Permian Extinction

• Acid rain and ozone depletion resulted from volcanic activity

• The Permian extinction resulted in loss of 90% marine life and 70% terrestrial vertebraes

• Also known as the Great Dying, it took an estimated 10 million years for diversity to return

Acid rain and ozone depletion led to extinction
Image by Wikipedia

New research shows that we aren’t the only ones that had to face the problems of acid rain and ozone depletion.  The Permian extinction, also known as the Great Dying, may have been caused by a combination of acid rain and ozone depletion.  The Great Dying occurred 252 million years ago and served as the boundary between the Permian period and the Triassic.

The Permian extinction is known as being the most massive extinction in history.  Due to this event, up to 96 percent of Earth’s marine species, and 70 percent of terrestrial vertebrae species became extinct.  It took an estimated 10 million years for the diversity of Earth’s creatures to flourish again.

Mass volcanic eruptions in Siberia have been reported to have devastating effects on the atmosphere due to the release of gas from the Siberian traps.  The study is by no means a new theory; volcanic activity in this area has been pegged as the cause of the Permian extinction previously.  However, this research team used three dimensional computer modeling to predict the impact of the gases released.

The results showed that the combination of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide released by the volcanic activity could have created acid rain that led to the depletion of plant life and soil nutrients.  This in turn would affect larger terrestrial animals.  In addition, the ozone depletion would have resulted from this massive release of gases as well.

With the acid rain diminishing life, and the ozone depletion allowing for ultraviolet radiation and temperature increase, these causes are very likely the reasons of the Permian extinction.

Although these causes were due to natural reasons, the mass volcanic activity, they might make us reconsider our role in preserving our life support systems.