Anthropogenic-scale CO₂ degassing from the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province as a driver of the end-Triassic mass extinction

The climatic and environmental impact of exclusively volcanic CO₂ emissions is assessed during the main effusive phase of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP), which is synchronous with the end-Triassic mass extinction. CAMP volcanism occurred in brief and intense eruptive pulses each producing extensive basaltic lava flows. Here, CAMP volcanic CO₂ injections into the surface system are modelled using a biogeochemical box model for the carbon cycle. Our modelling shows that, even if positive feedback phenomena may be invoked to explain the carbon isotope excursions preserved in end-Triassic sedimentary records, intense and pulsed volcanic activity alone may have caused repeated temperature increases and pH drops, up to 5 °C and about 0.2 log units respectively. Hence, rapid and massive volcanic CO₂ emissions from CAMP, on a similar scale to current anthropogenic emissions, severely impacted on climate and environment at a global scale, leading to catastrophic biotic consequences.