Stable isotopes and element concentrations of samples from the Wadi Bih, United Arab Emirates ...

• Main Authors: Clarkson, Matthew O, Kasemann, Simone A, Wood, Richard A, Lenton, Timothy M, Daines, S J, Richoz, Isabelle, Ohnemueller, Frank, Meixner, Anette, Poulton, Simon W, Tipper, Edward T
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2015
• Subjects: Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.845828; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.845828

Ocean acidification triggered by Siberian Trap volcanism was a possible kill mechanism for the Permo-Triassic Boundary mass extinction, but direct evidence for an acidification event is lacking. We present a high-resolution seawater pH record across this interval, using boron isotope data combined with a quantitative modeling approach. In the latest Permian, increased ocean alkalinity primed the Earth system with a low level of atmospheric CO2 and a high ocean buffering capacity. The first phase of extinction was coincident with a slow injection of carbon into the atmosphere, and ocean pH remained stable. During the second extinction pulse, however, a rapid and large injection of carbon caused an abrupt acidification event that drove the preferential loss of heavily calcified marine biota. ... : Supplement to: Clarkson, Matthew O; Kasemann, Simone A; Wood, Richard A; Lenton, Timothy M; Daines, S J; Richoz, Isabelle; Ohnemueller, Frank; Meixner, Anette; Poulton, Simon W; Tipper, Edward T (2015): Ocean acidification and the Permo-Triassic mass extinction. Science, 348(6231), 229-232 ...