New twist in the existing Dinosaurs Extinction Theories comes from a group of climate scientists who have established how sulfuric acid was responsible for the dawn of the ice age.
It is a well-known fact that the dinosaurs died as a result of the massive drop in the temperature and darkness. In fact, not just dinosaurs, various other animals were also affected by the big change in the environment.
Previously it was suggested that the dust storm initiated by the impact of the asteroid may have killed the dinosaurs. But the new study by the climate scientists does shed some more light on what may have actually happened at that time.
Dinosaurs went extinct approximately sixty-six million years ago and the deadly cycle of events was indeed initiated after the impact of the asteroid. New computer simulations by the climate scientists show that the impact of the asteroid released tiny droplets of sulfur bearing gases into the atmosphere.
The sulfuric acid droplets led to the long lasting cooling and even blocked the sunlight. Temperatures went down by close to 26 degrees. For the dinosaurs who were used to living in a lush climate, this drop was too much to tolerate.
So even if the dust in the atmosphere did cause trouble, the death of dinosaurs can't be accredited to it entirely. "The long-term cooling caused by the sulfate aerosols was much more important for the mass extinction than the dust that stays in the atmosphere for only a relatively short time," said Georg Feulner, co-author of the study, as quoted on Science Daily.
Another cause associated to the extinction of the gigantic creatures could be the vigorous mixing of oceans resulting in a huge algae bloom, as reported on Seeker. This was also initiated as a result of massive surface cooling. The activity in the oceans is largely responsible for the death of marine life as the ice age progressed.
The extinction of dinosaurs is a historically important event since it also marks the rise of the human race and other mammals. It took the planet thirty years to recover from the massive change in the environment. During this period, the humans had established their supremacy in the food chain.