ISP 203A Feb 21

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Michigan State University *

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203A

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Electrical Engineering

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Apr 3, 2024

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ISP 203A Feb 21, 2024 Mass Extinctions Activity 1: Why are people so into dinosaurs? Because they almost seem like fictional characters, like superheroes, so kids are amazed by the fact that dinosaurs actually existed. Exam 2 on Wednesday - 3/6 Open note, no time limit. Activity 2: What do the x and y axes represent? The x-axis represents the time period, and the y-axis represents the amount of marine families there were in those time periods. Where does the largest mass extinction occur? The largest mass extinction from what I see on the graph is in the Paleozoic time period. Where are the first of the big 5 mass extinctions? The first one is above the "S" section in the Paleozoic time zone. What is happening at the first mass extinction arrow? The Cambrian evolutionary fauna is happening at the first mass extinction arrow. Activity 3: Summarize the series of events that led to the Permian-Triassic extinction. The initiating event: an ancient group of volcanoes whose remains lie in Eastern Russia known as the Siberian Traps. Subsequent events: The Siberian Traps changed the Permian oceans by warming them. Also, the gases that the volcanoes spew into the atmosphere. How subsequent events led to massive species loss: You had volcanoes that warmed the atmosphere through the gases it released into the atmosphere, especially doing it through carbon dioxide. Through doing that, it trapped the sun's heat in our atmosphere, making the whole of Earth warm up. In this process, the gases would have heated up the Permian oceans and changed the chemistry of the oceans. When the oceans were heated up, they lost the ability to hold oxygen in them and instead held hydrogen sulfide. The oceans became so warm that hydrogen sulfide would bubble up out of the oceans and be released into the atmosphere, killing life around it. Activity 4: Using what you have learned in previous lectures, explain how each of these conditions relates to the Earth's carbon cycle.

Sea levels rise and fall: Sea level fluctuation can influence the carbon cycle through their impact on coastal ecosystems. Because when there is high sea level, wetlands expand, which leads to an increase in carbon. But when there is low sea level, coastal wetlands shrink, releasing stored carbon into the atmosphere. Ocean anoxia: Because oxygen-dependent organisms are unable to decompose organic material effectively. This leads to the burial of carbon-rich organic carbon. Volcanism: Volcanic activity releases large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, including carbon dioxide. Continent movement: When continental plates move and collide, they cause erosion and weathering processes that release carbon dioxide in the air. Bolide impact: When an asteroid collides with Earth, it leads to things like wildfire and dust storms, which results in significant disturbances in the carbon cycle. Activity 5: What do you need before you can accept something as factual knowledge? Good reasoning and evidence. Activity 6: Is the confirmation of a giant impact at the K-T boundary necessary to explain the extinction of the dinosaurs? Yes, I do need to see strong evidence, such as a crater, to believe the hypothesis that this is what killed the dinosaurs is true. Otherwise, if there was no evidence like the crater at the K-T boundary, I would not believe that dinosaurs were killed by an asteroid. Is the confirmation of a giant impact at the K-T boundary sufficient to explain the extinction of the dinosaurs? Yes, it is because it shows direct evidence to support the hypothesis that the dinosaur's extinction was a result of an asteroid hitting Earth. With hypotheses like these, you need strong evidence to back up the claim that an asteroid was the result of dinosaurs' extinction. Is the explanation that the giant impact caused the K-T extinction coherent? Yes, it is because there is strong evidence, not only by the large crater it left but also by the space dust that covers a layer of rock that people have found was able to kill a lot of different species. And the evidence of spherules. Activity 7: Complete the 4 steps of the search formula to weigh the strengths of the Alvarez hypothesis compared to alternative explanations for the extinctions of the dinosaurs. Explain your reasoning in each step. Claim: An asteroid that hit Earth is the reason for mass extinction. Examine Evidence: There is a lot of evidence to back up this claim, such as space dust that covered layers of rock and the evidence of spherules as well as the K-T boundary.

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