- At the end of the Triassic period, at least half of the species living on land and in the ocean went extinct, opening the way for dinosaurs to dominate Earth for the next 135 million years. Scientists have long suspected massive volcanic eruptions were to blame. Researchers say they have confirmed that eruptions large enough to bury the U. S. under 300 feet (91 meters) of lava occurred at the same time that vast numbers of plant and animal species disappeared from the fossil record. By accurately placing the extinction event at the onset of 5 the eruptions, climate modelers and other scientists may be able to pinpoint specific mechanisms like climate change that provoked the extinctions. There is evidence that the initial volcanic eruptions very quickly doubled the amount of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which led to increased global temperatures and ocean acidification. Explain why these changes in global climate could cause mass extinctions. The following key words could be used in your ecosystems, adapt, photosynthesis, habitat destruction​