Ocean Calcium Decline Helped Cool Earth After the Dinosaurs
A new international study links a long-term drop in ocean calcium since the dinosaurs’ extinction to changes in marine carbon storage. Lower calcium altered how shells and skeletons form and bury carbon, effectively pulling CO2 from the atmosphere and cooling the planet by up to about 15–20°C over millions of years, with seafloor spreading slowing as a key driver of the reduced calcium input to seawater.
