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Impact Winter

All articles tagged with #impact winter

science7 hours ago•11 min saved

When the sky became a weapon: the long aftershocks of the Chicxulub impact

The Chicxulub impact 66 million years ago released molten debris that heated the upper atmosphere and sulfur- and soot-rich aerosols that blocked sunlight for years, triggering a drastic cooling that collapsed photosynthesis and reshaped life on Earth; while fires may have started in some regions, debates continue about how much the global die-off was due to heat, dust, or smoke, with survivors mainly among small, burrowing or detritus-eating species.

via Space Daily|

#asteroid-impact #chicxulub #climate-cooling

science2 years ago•4 min saved

"Dust: The Silent Killer of the Dinosaurs"

A new study on the end-Cretaceous extinction event suggests that fine dust from the Chicxulub impact played a significant role in the demise of non-avian dinosaurs. The study found that when this dust is plugged into climate models, global temperatures drop by as much as 25°C, and photosynthesis shuts down for almost two years. The researchers also discovered that the average particle size of the dust was smaller than previously assumed, affecting its interaction with sunlight and how long it stays in the atmosphere. These findings highlight the complex dynamics of the post-impact climate and the challenges in understanding the events that followed the extinction event.

via Ars Technica|

#chicxulub-impact #climate-modeling #dinosaur-extinction

science2 years ago•1 min saved

Asteroid Dust: The Deadly Winter that Wiped Out Dinosaurs

A new study suggests that fine silicate dust from the Chicxulub asteroid, which remained in the atmosphere for up to 15 years, played a more significant role in causing the impact winter and mass extinction event that killed the dinosaurs than previously thought. The dust particles, found at the Tanis fossil site in North Dakota, were the right size to stick around in the atmosphere and dropped global temperatures by up to 15 degrees Celsius. Climate models indicate that the dust likely caused a "catastrophic collapse" of life by shutting down photosynthesis in plants for at least a year.

via Slashdot|

#asteroid #climate-models #dust

science2 years ago•3 min saved

Unveiling the Deadly Impact: How Asteroid Dust Led to the Extinction of Dinosaurs

New research suggests that the extinction of dinosaurs 66 million years ago was caused by an asteroid impact that kicked up a massive amount of dust into the atmosphere. Previous theories proposed that sulfur or soot caused an impact winter, but the study based on particles found at a fossil site supports the hypothesis that fine silicate dust from the asteroid stayed in the atmosphere for 15 years, causing a drop in global temperatures and a catastrophic collapse of life. Understanding past mass extinctions is crucial for predicting future ones.

via Phys.org|

#asteroid #dinosaurs #dust