Around 250-million-years ago, planet earth went through a 'Great Dying' scenario where all kinds of living beings faced the heat of extinction. Scientists believe that this scenario was mainly due to the increased emissions of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Now, a team of scientists has warned that conditions in the modern world are very similar to the past, which clearly indicates that earth is apparently going through its end times.
In a recent exhibit, at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C, scientists compared the scenario during the 'Great Dying' moments with the atmospheric conditions we see today. As per scientists, it was an enormous volcanic field eruption which caused all the havoc before 250-million-years ago.
The volcanic eruption spewed lava on earth's surface and the atmosphere was completely filled with carbon dioxide. The planet then became warmer and the water on oceans became acidic, which in turn resulted in the death of 90 percent of marine animals and two-thirds of land animals.
However, when it comes to the modern world, it is human activities which are the sole cause of all kinds of troubles in the atmosphere.
"The very same things that caused the Great Dying is happening right now in our ocean today as a result of human activities. The first thing that happens is that you start to see a local loss of species as they begin to move in response to the climate heating up," said Curtis Deutsch, a researcher at the University of Washington, npr.org reports.
Deutsch also added that animals living in the equatorial region are more likely to survive when compared to living beings in the polar region due to hazardous effects of global warming.
"We discovered something that was kind of surprising and new, I think. Extinction was very strong everywhere, but it was even stronger near the cold parts of Earth, near the polar oceans, than it was in the warmer tropical oceans," added Deutsch.
The reason behind the survival of animals in the equatorial region can be explained in a very simple manner. Animals that live in the equatorial region can move towards the polar region, in search of cooler atmosphere, but polar animals who already dwell in cool areas have little room to run.
