The increased acidity can dissolve carbonate structures and makes it physiologically difficult for calcifying organisms to survive, a stress they likely could not endure on top of the collapsing food webs. This strategy, while successful for dispersal, made them completely dependent on the health of the planktonic ecosystem, which was the first to collapse during the impact winter.
How Ocean Acidification from the Impact Winter Killed Ammonites
Their reliance on a healthy, sunlit ocean made them a canary in the coal mine, and they perished as the ecosystem they dominated collapsed. Compounding this darkness and cold was the acidification of the world's oceans.
This gas would have combined with water vapor to form sulfuric acid, leading to a sharp and sudden drop in ocean pH. Without a stable supply of food, populations would have crashed rapidly.
Ocean Acidification: The Critical Factor in Ammonites' Demise
" Dust and soot ejected high into the atmosphere would have blocked sunlight for months, if not years, bringing photosynthesis to a grinding halt. The initial blast wave and global wildfires would have been followed by a prolonged period of "impact winter.
More About Why did ammonites go extinct
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