The Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM) is mainly of interest to climate scientists because: (Select one)

a. it is an example of a glaciation period not caused by orbital changes

b. many climate records disagree about its existence

c. It shows that anthropogenic global warming will lead to mass extinction

d. it might explain why the dinosaurs became extinct

e. it is an example of rapid warming, like today

The correct answer is e. It is an example of rapid warmings, like today

Explanation:

PETM was a fast and harmful Climate change on the planet that occurred on the end of the paleocene and the beginning of the Eocene 55.8 million years B. C, in a short lapse of 20 thousand years the earth's temperature increased by 6° C, this increased caused the total extinction of many organisms and adaptation of others in the planet.

Climate records support this theory by studying carbon-13 negative variations in its registry that was used to conclude that about 7000 gigatons of carbon were liberated to the atmosphere at the end paleocene.

The main cause of this climate change was the huge liberation of methane and other gases to the atmosphere and volcanic activity that increased CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. This rapid increase in temperature is scarily similar to what is happening nowadays where climate change is being accelerated by the gas emissions to the atmosphere because of human activity. Climatologist are estimating temperatures increase of 1° to 2° degrees of temperature the next 50 years in 200 years we could suffer the same climate change as PETM.