T88 Into the Frying PAN: The Early Triassic Hothouse of Pangea and Panthalassa II

Sunday, 27 October 2013
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Room 601

GLOBAL CLIMATE ACROSS THE PERMIAN-TRIASSIC BOUNDARY: MODELING THE EFFECTS OF GAS RELEASE FROM SIBERIAN VOLCANISM

Paper number: T88-2
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 1:05 PM – 1:20 PM

Authors

Abstract

The Permian-Triassic transition coincided with a rapid increase in sea surface temperatures and a catastrophic loss of biodiversity. In addition to the well-documented deterioration of conditions in Permian-Triassic oceans, the paleontological record suggests this time period was marked by elevated levels of atmospheric stress. Siberian Traps volcanism has been invoked as a possible trigger for the Permian-Triassic mass extinction. The eruption of the large igneous province transferred substantial quantities of climatically and chemically significant gases to the atmosphere, including carbon dioxide, sulfur, halogens, and organohalogens. We present results from a comprehensive global model of Permian-Triassic climate and chemistry. We show that gases released during magmatic episodes could have generated pulses of intense acid rain and/or strong ozone depletion. Sulfur emissions may also have caused transient hemispheric cooling. We suggest that these severe, rapidly-applied atmospheric stresses combined with sustained greenhouse warming to drive the end-Permian extinction on land. Our three-dimensional modeling results provide predictions of the distribution and character of Permian-Triassic climate and atmospheric conditions for comparison with the rapidly emerging geologic proxy record.