Recent Research from the AGU Explains Cause of Dinosaur Extinction

Matthew “Matt” Kafker earned his high school diploma from Middlesex High School, where he received numerous academic accolades, including the 2015 Andrew M. Dawson Physics Prize. Currently attending the University of Oregon, Matthew Kafker enjoys studying several science-related subjects, including electromagnetic physics, Newtonian mechanics, and microbial ecology. He has also taken part in conducting geophysical research.

Recently, the American Geophysical Union (AGU), an international nonprofit scientific association, reported on research that indicates dinosaurs went extinct due to a prolonged period of darkness (rather than cold) following the impact of an asteroid in the Yucatan Peninsula. The new research reveals that soot released from fires raging across the planet may have inhibited sunlight for a period long enough to destroy most of the life on earth, approximately 66 million years ago.

Researchers used a complex climate model to create a simulation of the effects of the fire and the resulting sulfates, ash, and particulates on blocking sunlight. Soot is believed to have absorbed most of the sun’s light for a year or more, which led to photosynthesis levels being reduced to below 1 percent of normal, subsequently killing photosynthesizing organisms at the base of the food chain.