highextinction

Highextinction is a term used to describe conditions or periods characterized by unusually rapid or extensive loss of species, or high levels of extinction risk across ecosystems or climates. It may refer to actual observed increases in extinction rates above background levels, or to qualitative assessments of severity in conservation planning. The term is not a formal scientific category but a descriptive label used in ecological, geological, and interdisciplinary discussions.

In ecology and paleobiology, highextinction denotes extinction rates that exceed the long-term background rate, often associated with rapid environmental change, habitat loss, overexploitation, invasive species, or catastrophic events. Researchers measure rates using metrics like extinctions per million species-years and compare to baseline rates. The concept emphasizes urgency for conservation actions and for understanding drivers of biodiversity loss.

In astronomy, high extinction refers to strong interstellar extinction caused by dust along the line of sight, reducing and reddening light from distant objects. This effect complicates observations and distance estimates and is quantified by extinction coefficients in various wavelength bands. Studies of high extinction regions help map dust and star-forming environments in the Milky Way and other galaxies.

In culture and media, highextinction has appeared as a thematic premise in science fiction and speculative narratives, where ecosystems face accelerated collapse or civilizations confront existential biodiversity risks. The term may also appear in discussions about climate policy, habitat protection, and planetary health, where reducing extinction risk is a central concern. See also Mass extinction, Biodiversity crisis, Interstellar extinction.