The Chicxulub impact event is credited with causing the extinction of all non-avian dinosaurs around 66 million years ago. Now, a study in Nature suggests that dinosaurs could have survived if the asteroid had landed in an ocean or almost any bit of land that wasn't loaded with hydrocarbons:
[...] the extraterrestrial impact happened nearly anywhere else, like in the ocean or in the middle of most continents, some scientists now say it is possible dinosaurs could have survived annihilation. Only 13 percent of the Earth's surface harbored the ingredients necessary to turn the cosmic collision into this specific mass extinction event, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports [open, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-14199-x] [DX]. "I think dinosaurs could still be alive today," if the asteroid had landed elsewhere, Kunio Kaiho, a paleontologist from Tohoku University in Japan and lead author on the study, said in an email.
Other researchers questioned their findings.
When the asteroid, which had a diameter about half the length of Manhattan, struck the coast of Mexico, it found a rich source of sulfur and hydrocarbons, or organic deposits like fossil fuels, according to the researchers. Scorching hot temperatures at the impact crater would have ignited the fuel. The combustion would have spewed soot and sulfur into the stratosphere in sufficient quantities to blot out the sun and change the climate, setting into motion the collapse of entire ecosystems and the extinction of three-quarters of all species on Earth.
[...] Eighty-seven percent of Earth's surface, places like most of present day India, China, the Amazon and Africa, would not have had high enough concentrations of hydrocarbons to seal the dinosaurs' fate. But if the asteroid had hit marine coastal areas thriving with algae, which would have included present day Siberia, the Middle East and the eastern coast of North America, the bang would have been about as devastating to the dinosaurs and life on Earth as the Chicxulub impact.
Humans should burn off all of the hydrocarbons and tar sands in the Earth's crust, so we can make our species more resistant to impactors.
Also at DW, The Atlantic, and Live Science.
Related: Asteroid Impact That Killed Off the Dinosaurs Quantified
Related Stories
Scientists have placed tighter constraints on the amount of material expelled into the atmosphere by the Chicxulub impact:
Scientists say they now have a much clearer picture of the climate catastrophe that followed the asteroid impact on Earth 66 million years ago. The event is blamed for the demise of three-quarters of plant and animal species, including the dinosaurs. The researchers' investigations suggest the impact threw more than 300 billion tonnes of sulphur into the atmosphere. This would have dropped temperatures globally below freezing for several years. Ocean temperatures could have been affected for centuries. The abrupt change explains why so many species struggled to survive. "We always thought there was this global winter but with these new, tighter constraints, we can be much more sure about what happened," Prof Joanna Morgan, from Imperial College London, told BBC News.
Quantifying the Release of Climate-Active Gases by Large Meteorite Impacts With a Case Study of Chicxulub (open, 9DOI: 10.1002/2017GL074879) (DX)
Potentially hazardous asteroids and comets have hit Earth throughout its history, with catastrophic consequences in the case of the Chicxulub impact 66 Myr ago. Here we reexamine one of the mechanisms that allow an impact to have a global effect—the release of climate-active gases from terrestrial sedimentary rocks after the high-velocity impact. We estimate that 325 ± 130 Gt of sulfur and 425 ± 160 Gt CO2 were ejected into the atmosphere at velocities > 1 km/s. These numbers have to be used in global climate models to quantify possible changes of solar irradiation, surface temperature, and duration of stressful conditions for biota.
Also at the American Geophysical Union.
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Friday November 10 2017, @03:14PM (6 children)
How the fark long is Manhattan? I have no idea. I grok yards, meters, miles, kilometers, and football fields. Queen Marys, basketball courts, Manhattans? Not so much.
My ducks are not in a row. I don't know where some of them are, and I'm pretty sure one of them is a turkey.
(Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Friday November 10 2017, @03:18PM
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 5, Informative) by Phoenix666 on Friday November 10 2017, @04:36PM (1 child)
It's about 30 minutes, unless you're on the B train going uptown. Then you're gonna get stuck at the curve coming into Columbus Circle and it could take up to 50 minutes while waiting for the A train to pass. That's by subway.
By bike it's about 20 minutes, unless you're going downtown and get held up by dog walkers with 15 mutts on a leash or roller-bladers slaloming across the entire pedestrian and bike paths, or, if you're headed uptown between 10-12 am close to Tribeca when all the model chickies wake up to take their morning jog and you...find...you...don't...want...to...go...fast.
By car it's 5-7 minutes on the FDR if it's 3am and your wife has gone into labor.
You're welcome.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Saturday November 11 2017, @02:03AM
Moderated Interesting, because Awesome wasn't an option. Someone gets it.
My ducks are not in a row. I don't know where some of them are, and I'm pretty sure one of them is a turkey.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday November 10 2017, @05:52PM (2 children)
One Manhattan is a quarter of a Long Island, m which places it at about 2 Chardonnays.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday November 10 2017, @06:14PM (1 child)
So, converting to other units here, about 20 KiloJews?
(Score: 3, Informative) by bob_super on Friday November 10 2017, @06:27PM
But 20 kiloJews is two Deutsche Bahn trains (it would be only one Indian Railways train), which would only realistically be a threat to Argentinian Dinosaurs.
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Friday November 10 2017, @03:31PM
So BP, Exxon, and Shell have actually been laboring away at a 10% profit margin to save the world. I for one welcome our new planetary savior overlords.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 10 2017, @03:41PM
My fellow senators, we must give more money to NASA to start an asteroid protection programme. Otherwise, something like this may happen again and WE WILL LOSE OUR OIL!
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday November 10 2017, @04:28PM (5 children)
I'd question those findings as well. Once again, we have a group of researches coming up with some amazing "findings". I suspect they assigned weights to possibilities, and maybe they didn't really "manipulate" the numbers, but added a little weight to numbers that looked good, and maybe lightened some numbers that didn't look so good.
Guesswork is guesswork. Why don't they just publish a World Guess Journal. They can publish these kind of findings to the Guess Journal, where they can catch people's a̶t̶t̶e̶n̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ imagination. If enough people's imagination is captured, then maybe more research will be committed, and more evidence collected, and eventually they can publish to a SCIENCE JOURNAL!!
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday November 10 2017, @04:51PM (2 children)
I bet you didn't glance at the paper [nature.com], which is open access.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Friday November 10 2017, @05:37PM (1 child)
Methods
Model calculation
We used a coupled atmosphere–ocean global climate model developed at the Meteorological Research Institute, MRI-CGCM3.
I have often voiced my opinion of models. Those models make assumptions, much like autonomous car and other robotic software makers make assumptions. That is, that the developer has included all - that is ALL - relevant data. Software in general, including models, as well as robotics, are only as good as the developer's insights. If the developer puts garbage in, you'll get garbage out - GIGO.
What truly amazes me, is that people TRUST software so much. People today already show a willingness to climb into a car, and go to sleep - or whatever. And, we have read a few stories about why that is such a terrible idea. The software is pretty good, but it's NOT UP TO THE TASK OF SAFELY GETTING YOU HOME.
Now, in this case, I can't argue any one "fact" that they use in their model. But, I'd sure like to tear that model apart, to see how many assumptions and/or presumptions they have made in building the model.
Other scientists have expressed their doubts. I've concurred with those other scientists. I have my doubts. Give it time - if they are talking out their asses, it will eventually be exposed. If they know what they are talking about, there will be follow up studies that tend to confirm their findings. But, I do have my doubts.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday November 10 2017, @05:38PM
Mehhh - I should have put that first part in quotations, or even a blockquote -
"Methods
Model calculation
We used a coupled atmosphere–ocean global climate model developed at the Meteorological Research Institute, MRI-CGCM3."
(Score: 3, Insightful) by aristarchus on Friday November 10 2017, @08:57PM (1 child)
Maybe. But I suspect that Runaway is trying to show how the "common, uneducated American" is actually more intelligent than these "climate scientists" with all their hoity-toity "data" and "numbers" and "models". And so it is with all "numbers" or "science". You see, if you don't understand, you can just go ahead and believe whatever you want! Yes, Runaway is a Republican!
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 11 2017, @03:52AM
If it wasn't for such vigilant Americans such as Runaway, we might have fallen for the liberal lie that race is a social construct, that Global warming is Anthropogenic (whatever that means), and that tax-cuts do not increase tax revenue, or that Donald Trump is not Making America Grate Again!!! Thank you for your service, Runaway! Moron Labia!
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Friday November 10 2017, @06:14PM (9 children)
It's unfortunately that the asteroid hit in that location. If it hadn't, dinosaurs probably would have survived, and evolved into an intelligent species that surely would have been better than these shitty humans. They'd probably have had interstellar travel by now too.
Maybe there's a parallel universe where the asteroid missed the Earth.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 10 2017, @07:15PM (1 child)
I certainly hope we can develop interstellar travel in a matter of a thousand years, not 60 million...
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday November 10 2017, @08:31PM
It's been 60M years since the dinos yielded to the mammals, and yet you want more time?
I'll ask the Gods what the lead time is on the asteroid order, but I'm pretty sure the insects are gonna be pissed if you delay...
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday November 10 2017, @08:43PM (2 children)
As I have noted [soylentnews.org], those shitty humans are starting to do pretty well for themselves.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Friday November 10 2017, @08:58PM (1 child)
Interesting, but remember, every single prior civilization that humans have created has collapsed. It seems a bit optimistic to think that this one won't.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday November 11 2017, @03:15AM
There, we have several examples such as the collapse or decline of several Eurasian civilizations in the 5th and 6th century AD (including the famous fall of the Western Roman Empire), the Late Bronze Age Collapse, or prehistoric human troubles such as the hypothesized near extinction of Cro Magnon man in 75,000 BC or the extinction of Homo Neanderthalus about 40,000 BC. The first two had the symptoms that traditionally are associated with modern depictions of social collapse such as high numbers and movement of dispossessed, destruction of most infrastructure, and permanent disruption of existing trade networks.
My view is that we're not close to such a collapse. IMHO, such collapses require either a suitably large disaster or evolution of fragile societies. The fragility of modern societies is greatly exaggerated and one can deliberately instill disruptions to keep them that way (for example, economic disruptions via recessions and mass bankruptcies).
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Saturday November 11 2017, @12:35AM (3 children)
Cold blooded intelligence is different - researchers are just starting to figure out methods of measuring it (hint: food isn't the motivator that it is for warm blooded creatures.)
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by dry on Saturday November 11 2017, @07:47AM (2 children)
There's lots of evidence that dinosaurs were warmblooded though it is not conclusive.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physiology_of_dinosaurs [wikipedia.org] has a discussion about the various evidence. The surviving dinosaurs are warmblooded as well.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Saturday November 11 2017, @08:07PM (1 child)
Birds yes, lizards no. I know birds are descendants of the dinosaurs (in a way, so are mammals), but I "see" much more resemblance between an Anole and a T-Rex than I do a Finch and a Brontosaurus.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by dry on Saturday November 11 2017, @08:37PM
Well Tyrannosaurus had feathers as well as the Avian Dinosaurs. The closest relative to Dinosaurs (besides birds) are actually the Crocodiles and relatives, who seem to have been warm blooded at one point, eg they have a 4 chambered heart unlike all other reptiles, but like birds.
The ancestors of mammals, who did quite well for a time, split of from reptiles long before dinosaurs.
(Score: 2) by PinkyGigglebrain on Friday November 10 2017, @08:05PM (1 child)
So, the asteroid accurately hit one of the few locations on the planet that caused maximum casualties.
There is no way something like that could have happened naturally!
That rock must have been guided by aliens!
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 11 2017, @04:04PM
Who knew the B ark had a few decent geologists on it. Must have been drug addicts or something, but hey they were able to clear Earth for colonization. They were probably also the ones to mate with monkeys to create their ancestors the "humans".
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Muad'Dave on Monday November 13 2017, @02:50PM
Perhaps impacts at those other locations did occur regularly. How would we know if their result wasn't devastation?