Sixty six million years ago, the sudden extinction of the dinosaurs started the ascent of the mammals, ultimately resulting in humankind's reign on Earth. Climate scientists now reconstructed how tiny droplets of sulfuric acid formed high up in the air after the well-known impact of a large asteroid and blocking the sunlight for several years, had a profound influence on life on Earth. "The big chill following the impact of the asteroid that formed the Chicxulub crater in Mexico is a turning point in Earth history," says Julia Brugger from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), lead author of the study to be published in the Geophysical Research Letters. Global annual mean surface air temperature dropped by at least 26 degrees Celsius. Even in the tropics, annual mean temperatures went from 27 degrees to mere 5 degrees. While these cooler water masses sank into the depths, warmer water from deeper ocean layers rose to the surface, carrying nutrients that likely led to massive blooms of algae, the scientists argue. The study of Earth's past also shows that efforts to study future threats by asteroids have more than just academic interest. "It is fascinating to see how evolution is partly driven by an accident like an asteroid's impact -- mass extinctions show that life on Earth is vulnerable," says Feulner.
This is important to know because the history of how our earth has evolved is important. The asteroid that hit Mexico, was a huge impact because it caused a dark cloud that ended the lives of many dinosaurs. If we know this information, in the future when a asteroid is heading towards earth we will be prepared and aware. The more we know, the more we can be prepared and aware for the next asteroid that will hit Earth.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170113133043.htm
This is important to know because the history of how our earth has evolved is important. The asteroid that hit Mexico, was a huge impact because it caused a dark cloud that ended the lives of many dinosaurs. If we know this information, in the future when a asteroid is heading towards earth we will be prepared and aware. The more we know, the more we can be prepared and aware for the next asteroid that will hit Earth.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170113133043.htm