Last Update: 04/05/2026 at 2:50 PM EST
Phosphorus Spikes Link Ancient Extinctions
Coverage from Phys.org, Nature, and others
Articles
4
Latest Article
04/01
Active Days
9
Executive Summary
Ancient phosphorus pulses in ocean rocks line up with two major marine extinctions and cooling, pointing to nutrient-driven climate stress
- Researchers analyzed carbonate rocks from seven marine sections to reconstruct ancient seawater phosphorus levels
- Brief but consistent phosphorus pulses matched the Late Ordovician and Late Devonian extinction timing
- The two events wiped out about 85 percent and 80 percent of marine species
- The pulses coincided with widespread ocean anoxia and falling temperatures
- Modeling suggests higher marine phosphorus could boost productivity and expand anoxic conditions
- Rising phosphorus could also draw down atmospheric carbon dioxide and cool the planet by up to 5 C
- The findings link phosphorus-cycle disruption with major ocean and climate change during extinction events
Quick Facts
- What: Linked ancient marine phosphorus spikes to two mass extinctions
- Where: Seven globally distributed carbonate rock sections including Canada
- Why: To test whether nutrient spikes drove anoxia cooling and biodiversity loss
- Who: Matthew Dodd and colleagues at The University of Western Australia
- When: During the Late Ordovician and Late Devonian about 445 and 372 million years ago
Coverage Timeline: 9 Days
Featured Article
A Nature Communications study used carbonate-rock phosphorus records and modeling to link ancient ocean phosphorus pulses to Late Ordovician and Late Devonian extinctions.
Additional Articles
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Matthew Dodd and colleagues report phosphorus-cycle disruptions in ancient oceans that coincide with Late Ordovician and Late Devonian extinctions and climate-linked cooling.
Matthew Dodd and colleagues linked modeled CO2 drawdown and global cooling, up to about 5 C, to phosphorus pulses during Late Ordovician and Late Devonian marine extinctions.
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Researchers used carbonate-associated phosphate proxies from seven global marine sections to find phosphorus pulses coinciding with Late Ordovician and Late Devonian mass extinctions.