There was a significant decrease in global temperatures around 180 million years ago, even though the levels of carbon dioxide decreased slowly. A graph depicting the carbon dioxide levels and the temperature on Earth from 600 million years ago to the present day. The dashed line represents temperature, while the solid line represents carbon dioxide levels. Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are on the left side of the graph, starting at 0 and going to 8,000 parts per million. The x-axis of the graph depicts millions of years, starting with 600 on the left and decreasing to present day 0 million years on the far right. The average global temperature is listed along the right side of the graph, beginning at 12 degrees Celsius and ending at 22 degrees Celsius. Based on the graph, what significant event could have caused this to occur?
Group of answer choices
O A volcanic eruption, causing a large extinction of animals who produce carbon dioxide
O The evolution of land plants, causing more carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere
O An asteroid impact, because the ash would have quickly caused the Sun’s energy to be blocked
O An asteroid impact, releasing extreme amounts of energy which increased plants’ productivity