Hyper Thermal Events and Climate Change - Essay Example

Hyper thermal events and Climate Change al Affiliation Hyper thermal events are rapid warming events, which took place fifty five million years ago. There is, however, no concrete and consistence literature on the period during which such events took place. Hyper thermal events were because of the release of large carbon dioxide volume in the atmosphere. This result to increase in atmospheric temperatures and the eventual acidification of the ocean. Climate, on the other hand, is the prolonged changes in the climatic conditions of a given area because of a gradual increase in the atmospheric temperatures. The essay introduces the Hyper thermal event such as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, Ordovician-Silurian extinction, The Pliocene and climate change. Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, Ordovician-Silurian extinction, The Pliocene are the events used throughout the essay to represent many Hyper thermal events. Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, Ordovician-Silurian extinction, The Pliocene are the most common and impacted a lot on the ecosystem. The essay evaluates the similarities as well as the differences between Hyper thermal events and the present’s climate change (Kürschner, 2008). It further gives the advantages and disadvantages of using Hyper thermal events as analogues for the present climate change. Introduction The present climate change being experienced in different parts of the world results from global warming. Climate change results from continuous emulsification of light carbon into the environment resulting from the interaction of man and the environment. Climate change is currently because of global warming (Pagani, 2010). Global warming has a definition as a rise in the atmospheric temperatures because of increased greenhouse gases in the ozone layer. Currently, there are various causes of global warming such carbon gases released in the manufacturing industry, wildfires, deforestation because of urbanization and emissions from the nuclear plants (Kürschner, 2008). The present climate change results from a gradual increase in the atmospheric temperatures; while around fifty five million years ago, climate change resulted from the rapid release of large carbon dioxide volumes into the atmosphere which lead to extreme changes in temperatures (Pagani, 2010). This resulted from the hyperthermal events taking place in the ocean as well as the terrestrial parts of the earth. Hyperthermal activities such as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) resulted to increase of global temperatures by approximately 5% and eight while Ordovician-Silurian extinction, The Pliocene resulted from an extreme reduction in the atmospheric temperatures. Hyperthermal events lead to complete alteration of different weather patterns which influenced a lot in the distribution of the animals across the world (Seki, 2010). The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) was a duration in which natural increase in atmospheric temperatures occurred because of rapid release of carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere. The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum occurred around fifty-five years ago. The hyperthermal event took place when the carbon II oxide concentration in the atmosphere was quite high as compared to the current levels. During this time, the atmospheric temperatures were higher resulting from the high levels of carbon II oxide concentration in the atmosphere. This was referred to as the warm period. The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum event took place for the duration of approximately twenty thousand years and resulted to an increase in the global temperatures by 6-80c. This increase of temperature as a result of a massive injection of carbon II oxide into the atmosphere (Hönisch, 2009). The existence of this mystery was initially available after the evaluation of the sediment cores in the marine originating from the regions near Antarctica indicated a sudden change in Carbon-12 and Carbon-13 isotopes ratios. Hyper thermal activities such as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), Ordovician-Silurian extinction, The Pliocene resulted to extinction of many species of the living organisms and respective modification.There has been vigorous research being carried on by different scientists with the aim of understanding the global response to the Hyper thermal activities. This serves in enhancing greater understanding of the global response to the current climatic changes as a result of global warming (Pagani, 2010). This ensures that the global warming can have an evaluation efficiently and possible solutions can be obtained to avoid greater damage that resulted from the Hyper thermal activities. Various similarities and differences exist between the hypothermal activities and climate change as evaluated later in the report. The Hyper thermal activities can also be of use in assessing the current and future climate changes as experienced in the universe. The process of hydrothermal events involved rapid increase in the levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide; during currently global warming results from the gradual increase in the atmospheric temperatures because of the increase in the levels of Ozone gases in the atmosphere (Pagani, 2010). Climate change is the long-term alteration of the weather patterns across the globe through social activities and natural occurrences. Global warming is of consideration as the major cause of climate change in the world. Global warming is mainly the increase in the average atmospheric temperatures. Currently, majority of the researcher are evaluating different techniques and behavior to minimize global warming. The process of global warming has main enhancement from production and release of high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This corresponds to a thickening of the Ozone, which controls the atmospheric temperatures. The Ozone layer functions as insulation of the earth and the radiations form the sun (Wang, 2012). The layer ensures that only a small amount of sun radiations in the environment, therefore, controlling the number of atmospheric temperatures. The radiations once they hit the earth surface are reflected back through the Ozone layer, which allows only a given number so that it can keep the earth warm. Continuous emission of carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere due to human activities has lead to an increase in the density of the Ozone layer hence more radiations from the sun are trapped in the atmosphere (Wang, 2012). This further result to an increase in the atmospheric temperatures phenomena commonly referred to as global warming. Global warming leads to an increase in temperatures, which affects climate rotations in different parts of the planet. Some of the effects of global warming on the climatic conditions are long-lived while others are short lived. The long-term effects of global warming to the environment are referred to as climate change since they adversely affect the climate of a given region. There are many impacts of climate change on the on the organisms living in terrestrial surfaces and water surfaces. Climate, as well as the global warming, also high affects the humans. For example, snow melting from the arctic leads to an increase in sea levels (Hemmo, 2012). This eliminates the organisms living on the shallow parts of the sea as well as the organisms living in the arctic since they cannot adapt to living in the sea. The various impacts resulting from climate change can compare with the impact of Hyper thermal events on the earth surface. This is because both events results from an increase in the atmospheric temperatures as a result of the increase in the Ozone gases in the atmosphere (Wang, 2012). Global warming and Hyper thermal activities effect to fluctuations in the atmospheric composition as a result of additional cases. The events also lead to migration of organisms from their places of origin. Similarities of Climate Change and Hyper thermal events. During the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, there was a release of approximately five billion tons of carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere. During this time, the atmospheric temperatures rose by 60c over the duration of twenty years, which represents an annual increase in temperature of 0.0250c per 100 years. On the other hand, the current rates of global warming are approximated to be ten times those experienced during the PETM period and lies between one to four Celsius degrees every hundred years (Hemmo, 2012). The portion of carbon dioxide release to the atmosphere determines the rate of increase in atmospheric temperatures. This is also the major determinant of the impact of global warming on the society. On the other hand, Ordovician-Silurian extinction and the Pliocene were Hyperthermal events characterized by extreme decrease in temperatures (Hemmo, 2012). These events resulted to the development of arid lands and the snow in the Arctic. These resulted to the growth of grass that replaced the forests that enhanced the development of long legs in grazers. The Ordovician-Silurian extinction is argued to result from interference with the Ozone layer that exposed the earth to radiations from the sun. These radiations lead to extinction of some animal species and development of arid areas (Laurens, 2005). Temperature Rise The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum is one of the Hyper thermal events that result to an increase in the atmospheric temperatures. These events resulted to an increase by almost 60c, which resulted to rapid change in the composition of different organisms across the universe. Likewise currently, climate changes effects to an increase in the atmospheric temperatures (Hemmo, 2012). This results in rapid migration to areas, which are favorable for their stay. The increase in temperature in both cases is highly attributed the increase in the thickness of the Ozone layer (Laurens, 2005). It is through this similarity that scientists are currently basing their research on the long-term effects of the present climate change resulting from global warming (Kürschner, 2008). Methane Hydrates and Permafrost Majority of the scientist argue that, methane hydrates melting on the floor of the sea as well as the occurrence of permafrost at high latitudes were the major causes of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum. Permafrost and methane hydrates store large amounts of carbon and comprise a tipping point for the climate (Hemmo, 2012). The melting process of methane hydrates and permafrost is irreversible which leads to large amounts of such hydrates in the sea floor. Scientists have found out that there are large amounts of methane hydrates (500 to 10,000 billion carbon tons) and permafrost (7.5 to 400 billion tons) which are being monitored regularly. The process of methane hydrates and permafrost triggered and enhanced Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum warming. The melting of methane also enhances the current climate change resulting from global warming and permafrost hydrates in the Antarctica. This results from the evidence of a drastic reduction in the amounts of permafrost and methane hydrates, which suggests that, there might be high rates of hydrates melting in the Arctic Circle. Ocean acidification Ocean acidification was the most diverse and disruptive influences resulting from the Hyper thermal events. This resulted from the excess carbon dioxide absorbed by the ocean in an attempt to balance the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Naturally, ocean absorbs CO2 from the environment as well as the floor of the sea (Hemmo, 2012). The ocean balances the levels of carbon in the atmosphere by absorbing the excess CO2. Large amounts of carbon dioxide release into the atmosphere occurs during the Hyper thermal events. This suggests that, the ocean absorbed more carbon that results to a reduction in PH levels of the seawater (Kürschner, 2008). The same scenarios are seen in the current global warming and are indicated by the bleaching of coral, which result from ocean acidification. The current climate change resulting from global warming is characterized by ocean acidification as seen coral bleaching. This suggests that both processes having characteristic by a reduction in PH levels of seawater, which results in adverse effects on marine life. Differences Impacts on the Ecosystems Hyper thermal events and the current climate change resulting from global warming are characterized by large impacts on particular ecosystems. The impacts vary about the ecosystem as well as the amount of carbon dioxide released in the atmosphere. During the Hyper thermal events, there was a remarkable adoption by the ecosystem to warming resulting from the Hyper thermal events (Wang, 2012). There was minimal species extinction because of Hyper thermal events seen in foraminifera, which could not adapt to such high temperatures in the deep sea. Other marine life moved towards the pole where temperatures were lower. The mammals adapted by reduction in size in order to increase the heat dissipation. Turtles and animals with hoofs moved to different parts of the world from their confinement in the tropics. This is, however, not reflected with current climate change since animals are still confined to their original homes and there is minimal migration (Pagani, 2010). There is no ecosystem adoption by the living things as a result of climate change. This is because; most animals are struggling to live in their current ecosystems with minimal movements or physical adjustments. This suggests that, there is minimal impact of climate change on the ecosystems as compared to the impact resulting from the Hyper thermal events (Seki, 2010). Ordovician-Silurian extinction and the Pliocene resulted to the development of first vertebrates, coral reefs, long legs in grazers and the polar snow. These events were mainly characterized by extremely low temperatures. Ocean Circulation The impacts of the Hyper thermal events such as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum on the conditions were similar to the impacts of the current climate change on the environment. During Hyper thermal events, there was large scale reverse in ocean circulation which enhanced atmospheric warming (Pagani, 2005). Ocean circulations are mainly caused by changes in atmospheric temperatures and are enhanced by extreme changes in temperatures. The present climate change enhances ocean circulations due to changes in temperatures in different parts of the earth (Siegenthaler, 2005). Sea Level Rise Majority of Hyper thermal events such as Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum took place in already warm atmosphere. This implies that, there was no ice cover or glaciers, which would melt. This, however, contrasts the current climate change characterized by high levels of glacier and snow melting as a result of the increased temperatures in the environment. Melting of ice and glaciers resulted to increase in sea levels, which were not the case during the Hyper thermal events. Advantages Used of Hyper thermal events as analogues for present climate would result in a clear understanding of various changes experienced in different parts of the world. This would benefit the society since the scientist can respond efficiently to climate changes in the future. The use of Hyper thermal events as analogues to the present climate change has enhanced deeper understanding of the causes of climate change, therefore, many solutions are in a position to avoid long term effects of climate change. For example, individuals are urged to plant more trees, which serve in reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere alongside the ocean. This serves in reducing the amounts of acids in the sea as well as the atmospheric temperatures (Haywood, 2009). Disadvantages There are many demerits in association with the use of Hyper thermal events as analogues to the recent climate change. Hyper thermal were mainly as a result of the continental drift, which triggered melting of hydrates on the seafloor. This is, however, not true in the modern set up since there is no occurrence of continental drift (Laurens, 2005). Hyper thermal events were characterized by rapid carbon dioxide release to the atmosphere within a short period. This cannot be of use as an analogue for the present climate change since it results from the gradual release of CO2 gas in the environment. This implies that, the use of Hyper thermal events as analogues for the present climate change can result to inaccurate information. Conclusion Hyper thermal events resulted from rapid release of carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere, which leads to increase in temperatures. However, present climate change results from the gradual release of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The two events are, however, characterized by a decrease in the seawater PH levels as effects of the increase for carbon dioxide absorbed by the ocean. Hyper thermal events can be of application as analogues for the present climate change since it enables science to find solutions to such occurrences in the future. References Haywood A. M., Dowsett H. J., Valdes P. J., Lunt D. J., Francis J. E., Sellwood B. W.(2009) Introduction. Pliocene climate, processes and problems. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 367:3–17. Siegenthaler U., et al (2005) Stable carbon cycle-climate relationship during the Late Pleistocene. 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