November 12, 2019: "Rapid Ocean acidification and Protracted Earth System Recovery after the Cretaceous-Palaeogene Impact Event”

13:30 h in TLZ Seminarraum, Wischhofstr. 1-3

Immense volcanism and extraterrestrial impact are the two main suspects in driving the Cretaceous-Palaeogene (K-Pg) Mass Extinction. However, incontrovertible empirical evidence for how either caused ecological collapse is still scant. Our new boron isotope data reveal rapid fluctuations in ocean pH and atmospheric pCO₂  at the K-Pg, indicating ocean acidification caused by impact, not volcanism, prompted marine mass extinction. Furthermore, by coupling with earth system models, our pH estimates allow us to solve a longstanding geological puzzle: what was the cause of the post-extinction collapse in vertical carbon isotope gradients in the marine realm, and what does it convey about the Earth's ecological recovery after the mass extinction event?

Contact: Eleni Anagnostou