Biomarker Records Associated with Mass Extinction Events

The history of life on Earth is punctuated by a series of mass extinction episodes that vary widely in their magnitude, duration, and cause. Biomarkers are a powerful tool for the reconstruction of historical environmental conditions and can therefore provide insights into the cause and responses to...

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Main Authors: Whiteside, J., Grice, Kliti
Format: Journal Article
Published: ANNUAL REVIEWS 2016
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/44281
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author Whiteside, J.
Grice, Kliti
author_facet Whiteside, J.
Grice, Kliti
author_sort Whiteside, J.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The history of life on Earth is punctuated by a series of mass extinction episodes that vary widely in their magnitude, duration, and cause. Biomarkers are a powerful tool for the reconstruction of historical environmental conditions and can therefore provide insights into the cause and responses to ancient extinction events. In examining the five largest mass extinctions in the geological record, investigators have used biomarkers to elucidate key processes such as eutrophy, euxinia, ocean acidification, changes in hydrological balance, and changes in atmospheric CO2. By using these molecular fossils to understand how Earth and its ecosystems have responded to unusual environmental activity during these extinctions, models can be made to predict how Earth will respond to future changes in its climate.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-442812017-09-13T14:29:23Z Biomarker Records Associated with Mass Extinction Events Whiteside, J. Grice, Kliti The history of life on Earth is punctuated by a series of mass extinction episodes that vary widely in their magnitude, duration, and cause. Biomarkers are a powerful tool for the reconstruction of historical environmental conditions and can therefore provide insights into the cause and responses to ancient extinction events. In examining the five largest mass extinctions in the geological record, investigators have used biomarkers to elucidate key processes such as eutrophy, euxinia, ocean acidification, changes in hydrological balance, and changes in atmospheric CO2. By using these molecular fossils to understand how Earth and its ecosystems have responded to unusual environmental activity during these extinctions, models can be made to predict how Earth will respond to future changes in its climate. 2016 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/44281 10.1146/annurev-earth-060115-012501 ANNUAL REVIEWS restricted
spellingShingle Whiteside, J.
Grice, Kliti
Biomarker Records Associated with Mass Extinction Events
title Biomarker Records Associated with Mass Extinction Events
title_full Biomarker Records Associated with Mass Extinction Events
title_fullStr Biomarker Records Associated with Mass Extinction Events
title_full_unstemmed Biomarker Records Associated with Mass Extinction Events
title_short Biomarker Records Associated with Mass Extinction Events
title_sort biomarker records associated with mass extinction events
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/44281