oxygen catastrophe
nounEtymology From oxygen + catastrophe. From the accumulation of atmospheric oxygen, which was toxic to the anaerobic organisms existing at the time. This process led to a widespread extinction of those life forms.
1
Biology, Natural sciences An event during the oxygenation event of Earth's past, where the level of free oxygen in the environment exceeds the tolerance levels of most extant anaerobic life.
2
Biology, Natural sciences Such an event that theoretically occurs elsewhere, away from Earth.
- Related terms
- ultraviolet catastrophe, vacuum catastrophe
- Hyponyms
- Oxygen Catastrophe, Oxygen Crisis, Oxygen Holocaust, Oxygenation Crisis, Oxygenation Holocaust, Oxygenation Catastrophe
- Coordinate terms
- oxygen revolution, Oxygen Revolution, Oxygenation Event, Great Oxygenation, Great Oxygenation Event, GOE