The study, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, addresses a longstanding paradox between predictions of widespread extinctions of cold - water species and a general lack of evidence for those extinctions despite decades of recent climate change. (sciencedaily.com)
Although the underlying causes are unclear, the onset of the PETM about 56 million years ago was rapid, occurring within a few thousand years, and ecological consequences were large, with widespread extinctions in both marine and terrestrial ecosystems. (britannica.com)
This «central Atlantic magmatic province» (CAMP) released carbon dioxide and sulphurous compounds into the atmosphere — supposedly triggering global warming, acid rain and widespread extinctions on land and at sea. (newscientist.com)