Study with Swiss participation | August 25, 2024
Hunter-gatherers faced extinction in western Europe during the coldest period of the Ice Age. In Ice Age Europe, the number of people declined sharply during the cold periods, researchers have found.
Volcanic eruptions – here Mount Etna in Sicily – can lead to massive global warming.Photo: Keystone
Large volcanic eruptions have led to massive global warming several times in the course of Earth’s history. An international study with Swiss participation shows how such events have had long-term effects on the ability of ecosystems to regenerate and on the climate.
The Earth has experienced several periods of intense volcanism during which large amounts of greenhouse gases were released into the atmosphere. This led to rapid global warming, which in extreme cases resulted in mass extinctions of species, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich) announced on Friday.
For the study published in the journal Science, the Zurich scientists worked with colleagues from the universities of Arizona, Leeds, Toulouse and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL). The research team used isotope analyses of sediments and compared this data with a computer model that depicts vegetation and its role in regulating the geological climate system.
Largest extinction of species in history
The researchers examined three major climate changes in Earth’s history, including the Siberian Trapp event about 252 million years ago. “The Siberian Trapp event released about 40,000 gigatons of carbon over a period of 200,000 years, which led to an increase in the global average temperature of five to ten degrees Celsius. This climate shock led to the largest extinction of species in Earth’s history,” Taras Gerya, Professor of Geophysics at ETH Zurich, is quoted as saying.
“It took several million years for vegetation to recover from this event. During this phase, the Earth’s carbon-climate regulatory system was probably weak and inefficient, leading to long-term global warming,” says Julian Rogger, doctoral student and lead author of the study.
“Our study shows how important functioning vegetation systems are for the Earth to recover from climate change,” emphasizes Loïc Pellissier, professor at ETH Zurich and WSL, who led the research.
“We humans are also the main cause of global deforestation, which severely limits the ability of natural ecosystems to regulate the climate. The global community should see our study as a wake-up call.”
