Acid Oceans, Not Asteroid Impacts, Contributed to Permian – Triassic Extinctions

Recent research indicates that acid oceans, not asteroid 
impacts, likely contributed to Earth’s worst mass extinction.

Go look at:

Ancient Acidic Ocean a Killer by Emily Sohn, Discovery News,
http://news.discovery.com/earth/ocean-acidification-110907.html

Acid oceans helped fuel mass extinction by Alexandra Witze, 
Science News, Sept 5, 2011, 
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/333995/title/Acid_oceans_helped_fuel_mass_extinction

The paper is:

Montenegro, A., P. Spence, K. J. Meissner, M. Eby, M. J. Melchin, and 
S. T. Johnston, 2011, Climate simulations of the Permian-Triassic 
boundary: Ocean acidification and the extinction event, 
Paleoceanography, 26, PA3207, doi:10.1029/2010PA002058.

Abstract at http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2011/2010PA002058.shtml

Dr. Peter Ward has published a book that discusses decades of
published research, which he has conducted into the Permian-
Triassic mass extinctions. It is:

Ward, P. D., 2008, Under a Green Sky. Harper-Collins Books.
242 pp. ISBN 978-0-06-163163-4

It is an excellent, entertaining, and thoughtful book about the 
Permian-Triassic mass extinctions that is well written for 
the lay public. I highly recommend it.

Related articled are:

Earth science: Lethal volcanism by Paul B. Wignall, Nature.
vol. 477, no. 7364, pp.  285–286.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v477/n7364/full/477285a.html

Large Igneous Provinces and Mass Extinctions by , David Bressan,
‎Scientific American, Sept. 16, 2011, 
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/history-of-geology/2011/09/16/large-igneous-provinces-and-mass-extinctions/

Best wishes,

Paul H.