One of the main issues that is being discussed is global warming. However, this event may have occurred more frequently than most people think. Recently, scientists have found that these periods took place about every 400,000 years 50 million years ago.
According to a team led by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, these past events were due to the releasing of carbon dioxide that was hidden at the bottom of the ocean. This is the most likely cause for the warm periods, and each period raised the earth's average temperature by about 3.6-5.4 degrees Fahrenheit. This amount is similar to predicted temperatures in our current global warming. The scientists also say that these past occurrences can put into perspective of what could happen to us if we continue to pollute the environment.
The main reason that I chose this article is that I am pretty interested in global warming. Also, I did not know that an event like this actually happened as frequently as this. However, the fact that this event can occur naturally does not mean that people can continue to overuse fossil fuels that greatly contribute to the problem. One question that I have though is how was all of the carbon dioxide released out of the ocean and what happened to life on earth afterward?
Citations
"Ancient global warming periods seen." Science Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 6 Apr. 2011.
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