What is the Azolla Event?
The Azolla event was a catastrophic biogeological event which occurred approximately 49 million years ago (the middle Eocene) in the Arctic Ocean, which was warm and free of ice at the time. The Arctic Ocean was locked in on all sides by the continents, as Greenland, Europe, Asia, and North America were all connected in the north. This body of water became stagnant, much like the present-day Black Sea. Copious amounts of rainfall carried nutrients and fresh water into the Arctic Ocean (some might call it the Arctic Sea), creating a thin layer of freshwater at the surface. This layer of freshwater would ultimately prove to be the undoing of the planet’s climate. Quickly after formation, it became colonized extensively by the freshwater fern Azolla. This species is sometimes considered a “super-plant” because of its rapid reproduction (it can double its biomass in 2-3 days until optimal conditions) and excellent nitrogen and carbon fixing capabilities, up to a tonne per acre per year of
