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La fuente y el destino de la entrada masiva de carbono durante el último máximo térmico del Paleoceno
1Department of Geological Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA. Department of Geological Sciences and Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA. School of Earth Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|November 24, 1999
Resumen
Una liberación masiva de metano de la nariz de Blake hace 55,5 millones de años causó el calentamiento global, una importante interrupción del ciclo del carbono y una extinción masiva. Esto confirma la hipótesis de disociación del hidrato de gas.
Área de la Ciencia:
- La paleoceanografía es la paleoceanografía.
- La geoquímica es la geoquímica.
- Paleontología Paleontología.
Sus antecedentes:
- El Máximo Térmico Paleoceno-Eoceno (PETM) fue un período de calentamiento global significativo.
- Los desencadenantes y mecanismos exactos del PETM siguen siendo objeto de investigación.
- La liberación de metano de los hidratos de gas es un mecanismo propuesto para la liberación rápida de carbono.
Objetivo del estudio:
- Para investigar el papel de la liberación de metano en eventos climáticos pasados.
- Para identificar ubicaciones y mecanismos específicos de la antigua liberación de metano.
- Para correlacionar la liberación de metano con los principales cambios ambientales y evolutivos.
Principales métodos:
- Análisis de datos litológicos, faunísticos, sísmicos e isotópicos de la nariz de Blake.
- Examen de núcleos de sedimentos en busca de evidencia de eventos de liberación de metano.
- Correlación de los hallazgos geológicos con el clima global y los datos del ciclo del carbono.
Principales resultados:
- La evidencia vincula una liberación masiva de metano biogénico en la nariz de Blake hace ~55.5 millones de años con el calentamiento de los océanos y una importante perturbación del ciclo del carbono.
- Este evento coincidió con una extinción masiva de la fauna bentónica y una radiación de órdenes de mamíferos.
- Los depósitos asociados y los datos sísmicos indican calentamiento intermedio del agua, entrada de carbono, disolución de carbonato y disminución de oxígeno.
Conclusiones:
- Los hallazgos confirman la hipótesis de la disociación del hidrato de gas como un impulsor del cambio climático pasado.
- La nariz de Blake se identifica como un sitio clave para la antigua liberación de metano.
- Las liberaciones masivas de metano impactan significativamente la química del océano, el clima y la biodiversidad.
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