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Jurassic-era fossils are offering new climate clues.
Early Jurassic warming nearly wiped out all marine life
By Summit Voice
FRISCO — Careful analysis of the marine fossil record from the Early Jurassic era (about 180 million years ago), suggests that warmer global temperatures and lower oxygen levels led to dramatic ecosystem changes, with a near extinction of ocean life.
Those ecosystems later rebouned, but with a completely different species composition, according to Plymouth University (UK) scientists who studied ocean sediments along the North Yorkshire coast.
“Our study of fossil marine ecosystems shows that if global warming is severe enough and lasts long enough it may cause the extinction of marine life, which irreversibly changes the composition of marine ecosystems,” said researchers Richard Twitchett. (more…)
Filed under: climate and weather, Environment, global warming | Tagged: climate change, global warming, Jurassic, marine biology, Natural Environment Research Council, oceans, Plymouth University | 1 Comment »
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