Biology
Geology

Humans are emitting carbon 10 times faster than volcanoes

Humans are emitting carbon 10 times faster than volcanoes

The earth became dramatically warmer Fifty-five million years ago. The temperature rose to 5-8ºC (9-14ºF) – according to geological standards – for a very short time known as the Paleocene-Eosin thermal maximum. As dramatic as it was, a new study found that while it was a slower version of
what is still happening today, Carbon was released into the atmosphere in less than ten times the modern rate. The study indicates that most of the ancient emissions came from volcanoes, probably related to the formation of Iceland.

The oceans and atmospheric carbon exchange in a stable way, they become unbalanced relatively quickly, resulting in a two-thirds increase in the carbon concentration reflected in the thermal mesh gases.

Although the temperature rise is greater than all but in the worst-case human-induced conditions, the timescale is much longer, so the rate of warming would have been slower. PETM is not the perfect analog [to this day], but it is our closest thing, Hynes said in a statement. Haynes reached his conclusion by using old equipment in a new way. Pale climatologists rely heavily on foraminifera. These tiny marine organisms come in species adapted to different temperatures, and their shells settle in large numbers on the ocean floor. The large-scale variation of
warm and cold-adapted varieties provides an important record of the conditions at the time. He tested foraminifera of living species with different concentrations of carbon dioxide in seawater. He found greater acidity of the boron concentration in the foraminifera shells of high-carbon water. By measuring large
amounts of boron change, Haynes could more accurately track the level of carbon dioxide in the Pelican seas than previously estimated working temperatures.

After the time of the carbon, the explosion was established, the authors fingerprinted the carbon of the era. Volcano CO2 has a different isotopic carbon ratio than methane that accumulates on the ocean floor, which has become a popular explanation for the release of PETM. While it was time to avoid a larger extinction of
land animals, many marine species could not tolerate the increased acidity, with evidence that the inhabitants of the deep sea were particularly badly affected. The carbon dioxide in the foraminifera was originally volcanic, the paper said,
although rising temperatures probably melted enough methane to represent 6 percent of the total carbon, creating a slight reaction loop.
So, we can say that if we add carbon slowly, living things can adapt. If you do it too fast, it’s a really big problem.