When Global Rain Reshaped Life: The Carnian Pluvial Episode and the Rise of Dinosaurs

Around 234 million years ago, Earth experienced a long, uneven climate shift—the Carnian Pluvial Episode—where dry periods gave way to bursts of heavy rainfall for about one to two million years. This intensified rivers, accelerated soil weathering, and disrupted ecosystems, wiping out many marine and land species but also reshaping food webs. Amid the chaos, dinosaurs—previously minor players—expanded as other groups declined, a turnover that helped set the stage for their later dominance and shaped the evolution of life on both land and sea.