Learn More About Global Cooling

Learn More About Global Cooling

The Chicxulub asteroid was originally thought to be the reason for the death and mass extinction of the dinosaurs. Research conducted by scientists and scholars from Utrecht Univeristy and VU University Amsterdam an the Royal Netherlands Institute of Sea Research has provided evidence that a massive global cooling followed the Chicxuclub asteroid's impact on earth.

Researchers examined the shape and size of sea shell fragements from the Brazos River between Hearne and Waco in Texas to examine the effects of the Chicxuclub asteroid that hit earth 66 million years ago. The analysis was done on multiple samples. The Brazos River area was between the Gulf of Mexico and the Western Interior Seaway during this time.

The boundary between the eras of the Cretaceous and Paleogene were fulll of shells that bore greater fragmentation compared to those found in the layers of sediments before and after the asteroid had hit the earth. The fragmentation indicates that there was a tsunami caused by the impact of the asteroid.

High concentrations of iridium in the boundaries of the layers have come from the asteroid. This has been concluded because iridium is not an element which is common to earth. An analysis of the lipid content of core samples have also shown that there was a distinct decrease in the temperature of the earth following the impact of the asteroid for several decades.

The tempratures decreased to as much as 45 degrees fahrenheit. The global cooling occurred because massive amounts of dust and water vapor exploded into the earth's atmosphere and blocked the sumlight. What is known as an “impact winter” wiped out the dinosaurs.

This study has been a major achievment because this is the first piece of physical evidence regardign the fall in global temperature following the impact of the asteroid. The asteroid hit the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.

The effect of the impact of this asteroid would be similar to that of a nuclear winter. Therefore, the phenomenon is caused due to the large emission of dust particles into the stratosphere of the earth.

The area of the impact is known as the Chicxuclub crater and it would have lowered global temperatures by as much as 7 degrees. This change would have destroyed life for beings that need warmer and greener climate to flourish.

The cold snap lasted for around 20 years which was long enough to eliminate the dinosaurs and also kill the swimming and flying reptiles. Those creatures that survived were the foundations of life here on earth. Winter caused by the cold snap reduced the amount of sunlight in the earth by as much as 80%.

With humans living on a planet like ants on a football, cosmic events are always a source of interest and even fear. But what is undeniable is that humans certainly have the ability to control the welfare of their environment and their planet. If not global cooling, at least we can avert global warming.