Ocean Acidity Linked to Mass Extinction

Remember the ammonites? We don’t either.

A new Canadian study suggests that the greatest mass extinction ever may have been caused by high acidity in the ocean. Roughly 250 million years ago, back when we were all one massive super-continent, a mysterious force took out 90% of the Earth’s species. Scientists have long speculated about the cause, often blaming Siberian volcanoes or meteorites, though no one solidified with certainty the mechanism by which the animals were killed. According to St. Francis Xavier University researcher Alvaro Montenegro, it could well have been rising levels of acidity in the ocean, which can alter the way animals create their bodies from ocean minerals. Montenegro also says that ocean acidification is on the rise again and is associated with the effects of climate change.