Research Methods and Environmental Systems

Figure 1. (if using this figure please reference which graph you are referring to.)

Figure 2. (if using this figure please reference which graph you are referring to.)

Table 1.

Mass extinction % species lost Cause Effect

1st end of ordovician 85% CO2 absorbed by weathering of the Appalachian mountains

Rapid cooling, sea level fall due to glaciation

2nd late devonian 75% Land plants increased weathering (erosion)

More nutrient runoff into the ocean caused algal blooms and ultimately ocean anoxia.

3rd Permian-triassic 96% Massive volcanic eruption released huge amounts of CO2

Temperature increased by 25-34F

4th Triassic-jurassic 80% Increase in CO2 Increased temp 5-11F, oceans acidify

5th End of the cretaceous

76% Big meteor impact Dust and debris blocked out the sun causing global cooling and collapse in primary productivity

Figure 3.

Figure 4.

Modified after Foote, Michael. "Origination and extinction through the Phanerozoic: a new approach." ​The Journal of Geology​ 111.2 (2003): 125-148. Figure 5.

Figure 6.

(a) Probability distribution of estimated bird mortality caused by all free-ranging cats in mainland areas of the contiguous United States. (b) Probability distribution of estimated mammal mortality caused by all free-ranging cats in mainland areas of the contiguous United States. Loss, S. R., Will, T., & Marra, P. P. (2013). The impact of free-ranging domestic cats on wildlife of the United States. ​Nature communications​, ​4​, 1396. Figure 7.

Figure 8.

Atmospheric CO₂ concentrations and ocean pH values. Atmospheric CO₂, shown in blue (seasonal variations) and red (long-term smoothed trend), is measured at Mauna Loa, Hawai’i. Ocean pH values (green and orange) are from the ocean to the north of Hawai’i (Station Aloha). As CO₂ accumulates in the ocean, the water becomes more acidic (the pH declines). Source: Modified from Feely et al. 2009. Figure 9.

A model of the temperature anomaly with no human influence (blue line), a model of the temperature anomaly with human influence (red line), and the actual measured temperature anomaly (dashed line). https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/climateqa/category/climate-human-impact/

Figure 10.

CO2 concentration in ppm from 800,000 years ago to present. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/climateqa/category/climate-human-impact/ Figure 11.

Effects of experimental ocean acidification (CO2 level) on bleaching of three major coral species. Gray and black bars show low- and high-temperature treatments, respectively.