Depressed chemical weathering inhibited climate stabilization after the end-Permian biocrisis
11 affiliations
- 1State Key Laboratory of Critical Earth Material Cycling and Mineral Deposits, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, and Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, China.
- 2International Joint Laboratory for Life Evolution and Carbon Cycling, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
- 3State Key Laboratory of Paleobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, China.
- 4University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran.
- 5Department of Geology, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Lorestan 68151-44316, Iran.
- 6Department of Geosciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0013, USA.
- 7State Key Laboratory of Geomicrobiology and Environmental Changes (GMEC), China University of Geosciences-Wuhan, Wuhan 430074, China.
- 8State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Institute of Sedimentary Geology, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China.
- 9MIGHTY, Institute of Geosciences, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55122 Mainz, Germany.
- 10LOGIC, Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, London, UK.
- 11School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Abstract
The Permian-Triassic transition (∼252 million years ago) marks the most severe mass extinction in Earth's history, followed by a protracted interval of environmental instability and delayed biological recovery. Although elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) from extensive volcanism is widely invoked, the role of continental weathering feedbacks in regulating global climate has not been effectively constrained. Here, we present high-resolution lithium isotope records from marine carbonates and terrestrial deposits through the Permian-Triassic transition. Combined with an Earth-system model, our data reveal notable decreases in global continental weatherability following the end-Permian mass extinction, inferred to associations with widespread deforestation (extinction of deep-rooted plants) and the collapse of terrestrial ecosystem. This diminished weathering response to volcanic carbon emissions likely contributed to prolonged high atmospheric CO₂ and global temperature during the Early Triassic. The sustained greenhouse conditions, in turn, inhibited contemporaneous marine and terrestrial ecosystem recoveries. Our findings highlight the importance of terrestrial ecosystem in modulating global carbon cycle stability, and its effects on Earth's habitability.
Related
- Contour-crossing calculations quantify decadal changes in the pCO2 impacts of inorganic chemical weathering in the North American Arctic
- Assessing the potential and cost of enhanced rock weathering in China
- Response to “Direct Measurement of Carbon Dioxide Removal Due to Enhanced Weathering”
- Enhanced rock weathering in grassland: Impacts of basalt dust on hay meadow soil, forage, and floristic diversity
- Ultramafic weathering in tropical volcanic arcs: Geochemistry and inverse modeling of rivers draining the Zambales Ophiolite Complex (ZOC), Philippines
BibTeX
@article{wei2026depressed,
title = {{Depressed chemical weathering inhibited climate stabilization after the end-Permian biocrisis}},
author = {Guang-Yi Wei and Feifei Zhang and Hua Zhang and Yi-Bo Lin and Yi-Sheng Yin and Mohammad N. Gorgij and Sakineh Arefifard and Thomas J. Algeo and Philip A. E. Pogge von Strandmann and Benjamin J. W. Mills and Shu-zhong Shen},
journal = {Science Advances},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aee6350},
url = {https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/sciadv.aee6350},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Depressed chemical weathering inhibited climate stabilization after the end-Permian biocrisis
AU - Guang-Yi Wei
AU - Feifei Zhang
AU - Hua Zhang
AU - Yi-Bo Lin
AU - Yi-Sheng Yin
AU - Mohammad N. Gorgij
AU - Sakineh Arefifard
AU - Thomas J. Algeo
AU - Philip A. E. Pogge von Strandmann
AU - Benjamin J. W. Mills
AU - Shu-zhong Shen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/28
JO - Science Advances
DO - 10.1126/sciadv.aee6350
UR - https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/sciadv.aee6350
AB - The Permian-Triassic transition (∼252 million years ago) marks the most severe mass extinction in Earth's history, followed by a protracted interval of environmental instability and delayed biological recovery. Although elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) from extensive volcanism is widely invoked, the role of continental weathering feedbacks in regulating global climate has not been effectively constrained. Here, we present high-resolution lithium isotope records from marine carbonates and terrestrial deposits through the Permian-Triassic transition. Combined with an Earth-system model, our data reveal notable decreases in global continental weatherability following the end-Permian mass extinction, inferred to associations with widespread deforestation (extinction of deep-rooted plants) and the collapse of terrestrial ecosystem. This diminished weathering response to volcanic carbon emissions likely contributed to prolonged high atmospheric CO₂ and global temperature during the Early Triassic. The sustained greenhouse conditions, in turn, inhibited contemporaneous marine and terrestrial ecosystem recoveries. Our findings highlight the importance of terrestrial ecosystem in modulating global carbon cycle stability, and its effects on Earth's habitability.
SN - 2375-2548
ER -