In about 250 million years, all continents will converge to form Earth’s next supercontinent, Pangea Ultima. A natural consequence of the creation and decay of this supercontinent will be extremes in carbon dioxide levels due to changes in volcanic rifting and outgassing. New research shows that increased carbon dioxide, solar energy and continentality lead to increasing warming hostile to mammalian life.
Tectonic processes, occurring in the Earth’s crust and resulting in supercontinent formation would also lead to more frequent volcanic eruptions which produce huge releases of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, further warming the planet.
Mammals, including humans, have survived historically thanks to their ability to adjust to weather extremes, especially through adaptations such as fur and hibernating in the cold, as well as short spells of warm weather hibernation.
While mammals have evolved to lower their cold temperature survivable limit, their upper temperature tolerance has generally remained constant.
This makes exposure to prolonged excessive heat much harder to overcome and the climate simulations, if realised, would ultimately prove unsurvivable.
“The newly-emerged supercontinent Pangea Ultima would effectively create a triple whammy, comprising the continentality effect, hotter sun and more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, of increasing heat for much of the planet,” said University of Bristol’s Professor Alexander Farnsworth.
“The result is a mostly hostile environment devoid of food and water sources for mammals.”
“Widespread temperatures of between 40 to 50 degrees Celsius, and even greater daily extremes, compounded by high levels of humidity would ultimately seal our fate.”
“Humans — along with many other species — would expire due to their inability to shed this heat through sweat, cooling their bodies.”
Although human-induced climate change and global warming is likely to be a growing cause of heat stress and…
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