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Catastrophic Geologic Events in Paleozoic Wisconsin
The anthropogenic massive release of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere today is causing acidification of the oceans, global warming, migration of species, and a host of other effects, the full spectrum of which remains poorly understood. The end result of this ? great experiment? in altering the chemistry of the ocean-atmosphere system is unknown. Forward models that provide our best predictions are only as good as our comprehension of the myriad processes involved. Detailed study of similar changes in Earth?s history provides us the best opportunity for identifying all variables and potential outcomes. Ongoing research at the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey is focused on deciphering the rock record of shifts in the ancient ocean-atmosphere system and their correlation with biological evolution. The Paleozoic rocks of Wisconsin (400-500 million years old) record the chemical, physical, and biological composition of an ancient shallow tropical sea. The carbon isotope and lithologic content
