Catastrophic soil loss associated with end-Triassic deforestation

Schootbrugge, Bas van de; Weijst, Carolien van der; Hollaar, Teuntje P.; Vecoli, Marco; Strother, Paul K.; Kuhlmann, Natascha; Thein, Jean; Visscher, Henk; Cittert, Han van Konijnenburg-van; Schobben, Martin; Sluijs, Appy; Lindström, Sofie

doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103332

Cited by 39 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 109 publications

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“…Our inference of geographically localised marine de-oxygenation is consistent with recent studies indicating elevated weathering and erosion rates in Tethyan Shelf localities during the Late Triassic 35,36 . Localised marine de-oxygenation may have been driven by high run-off from the Late Triassic continents triggering eutrophication and strati cation, with increased run-off being driven by a warming climate and the collapse of forest ecosystems 37 .…”

Section: Localised Marine De-oxygenation As a Driver Of Extinction Du...supporting

confidence: 91%

An oxygenated global ocean during the end-Triassic mass extinction event

Bond

Dickson

Ruhl

et al. 2022

Preprint

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One of the most severe extinctions of complex marine life in Earth’s history occurred at the end of the Triassic Period. The end-Triassic extinction event was initiated by large igneous province volcanism and has tentatively been linked to oceanic redox change. However, the global-scale pattern of oceanic redox across the end-Triassic event is not well constrained. Here we use the sedimentary enrichment and isotopic composition of the redox-sensitive element molybdenum to reconstruct global–local marine redox conditions through the extinction interval. Peak δ98Mo values indicate that the global distribution of sulfidic marine conditions was similar to the modern ocean during the extinction interval. Meanwhile, Tethyan shelf sediments record pulsed, positive δ98Mo excursions indicative of locally oxygen-poor, sulfidic conditions. We suggest that pulses of marine de-oxygenation were largely restricted to marginal marine environments during the latest Triassic, playing a significant role in shallow marine extinction phases at that time, whilst the Late Triassic global ocean remained well-oxygenated. Importantly, this shows that global marine biodiversity, and possibly ecosystem stability, were vulnerable to geographically localised anoxic conditions. Expanding present-day marine anoxia in response to anthropogenic marine nutrient supply and climate forcing may therefore have significant consequences for global biodiversity and wider ecosystem stability.

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Section: Localised Marine De-oxygenation As a Driver Of Extinction Du...supporting

confidence: 91%

An oxygenated global ocean during the end-Triassic mass extinction event

Bond

Dickson

Ruhl

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…In Nevada and Peru, shallow-marine carbonate ramp facies disappear at the T–J boundary and are replaced by siliceous sponge-dominated “glass ramp” cherts for two million years. This benthic ecosystem regime shift has been attributed to elevated dissolved silica flux from enhanced weathering of silicate rocks and soil erosion during the volcanogenic greenhouse of the Early Jurassic 17 , 57 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is inferred to have emitted large quantities of isotopically light carbon as carbon dioxide and/or methane to the atmosphere, thus leading to negative carbon isotope excursions (CIEs) in both inorganic and organic reservoirs at a global scale 4 , 6 – 9 . Increased CO 2 concentrations in the atmosphere 10 , 11 contributed to climatic warming, oceanic anoxia 12 , seawater acidification 13 , 14 , and intensified chemical weathering on land during the Early Jurassic 15 – 17 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Enhanced chemical weathering, e.g., due to elevated temperatures and CO 2 concentrations linked to volcanism, can: (1) increase riverine nutrient fluxes to the ocean, stimulating surface productivity and marine anoxia 1 , 22 ; and (2) lower atmospheric CO 2 concentrations 21 . Earlier studies provided some evidence of intensified chemical weathering around the T–J boundary based on Os isotopes 15 , 23 , 24 , chemical index of alteration (CIA) data 25 , palynological assemblages 17 , and clay-mineral abundances 16 , 26 . However, the links between volcanism, carbon isotope excursions, and continental chemical weathering are largely inferential and have not been robustly demonstrated to date mainly owing to a lack of suitable volcanic proxies in sedimentary successions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Intensified continental chemical weathering and carbon-cycle perturbations linked to volcanism during the Triassic–Jurassic transition

et al. 2022

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Direct evidence of intense chemical weathering induced by volcanism is rare in sedimentary successions. Here, we undertake a multiproxy analysis (including organic carbon isotopes, mercury (Hg) concentrations and isotopes, chemical index of alteration (CIA), and clay minerals) of two well-dated Triassic–Jurassic (T–J) boundary sections representing high- and low/middle-paleolatitude sites. Both sections show increasing CIA in association with Hg peaks near the T–J boundary. We interpret these results as reflecting volcanism-induced intensification of continental chemical weathering, which is also supported by negative mass-independent fractionation (MIF) of odd Hg isotopes. The interval of enhanced chemical weathering persisted for ~2 million years, which is consistent with carbon-cycle model results of the time needed to drawdown excess atmospheric CO2 following a carbon release event. Lastly, these data also demonstrate that high-latitude continental settings are more sensitive than low/middle-latitude sites to shifts in weathering intensity during climatic warming events.

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“…However, recent observations and theories challenge this simple view (Caves Rugenstein et al., 2019 ; Foster & Vance, 2006 ; Willenbring & Von Blanckenburg, 2010 ), implying more complex and transitional spatiotemporal dynamics of erosion (Chen et al., 2018 ; Foreman et al., 2012 ; van de Schootbrugge et al., 2020 ) and carbonate weathering (Gaillardet et al., 2019 ; Zeng et al., 2019 ) and, consequently, of riverine inorganic carbon export. Additionally, environmental conditions and, consequently, carbonate dissolution in the (coastal) ocean are expected to change over multiple time scales, ranging from seasons and decades (Cai et al., 2011 ; Wallace et al., 2014 ) to geological time scales (Broecker, 1982 ; Ganeshram et al., 2000 ; Sluijs et al., 2013 ) with implications for the magnitude and timing of contribution of PIC to oceanic inventories.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%