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Synchronous tropical and polar temperature evolution in the Eocene

Author

Listed:
  • Margot J. Cramwinckel

    (Faculty of Geoscience, Utrecht University)

  • Matthew Huber

    (Purdue University)

  • Ilja J. Kocken

    (Faculty of Geoscience, Utrecht University)

  • Claudia Agnini

    (University of Padova)

  • Peter K. Bijl

    (Faculty of Geoscience, Utrecht University)

  • Steven M. Bohaty

    (National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton)

  • Joost Frieling

    (Faculty of Geoscience, Utrecht University)

  • Aaron Goldner

    (Purdue University)

  • Frederik J. Hilgen

    (Faculty of Geoscience, Utrecht University)

  • Elizabeth L. Kip

    (Faculty of Geoscience, Utrecht University)

  • Francien Peterse

    (Faculty of Geoscience, Utrecht University)

  • Robin Ploeg

    (Faculty of Geoscience, Utrecht University)

  • Ursula Röhl

    (MARUM - Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen)

  • Stefan Schouten

    (Faculty of Geoscience, Utrecht University
    NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry and Utrecht University)

  • Appy Sluijs

    (Faculty of Geoscience, Utrecht University)

Abstract

Palaeoclimate reconstructions of periods with warm climates and high atmospheric CO2 concentrations are crucial for developing better projections of future climate change. Deep-ocean1,2 and high-latitude3 palaeotemperature proxies demonstrate that the Eocene epoch (56 to 34 million years ago) encompasses the warmest interval of the past 66 million years, followed by cooling towards the eventual establishment of ice caps on Antarctica. Eocene polar warmth is well established, so the main obstacle in quantifying the evolution of key climate parameters, such as global average temperature change and its polar amplification, is the lack of continuous high-quality tropical temperature reconstructions. Here we present a continuous Eocene equatorial sea surface temperature record, based on biomarker palaeothermometry applied on Atlantic Ocean sediments. We combine this record with the sparse existing data4–6 to construct a 26-million-year multi-proxy, multi-site stack of Eocene tropical climate evolution. We find that tropical and deep-ocean temperatures changed in parallel, under the influence of both long-term climate trends and short-lived events. This is consistent with the hypothesis that greenhouse gas forcing7,8, rather than changes in ocean circulation9,10, was the main driver of Eocene climate. Moreover, we observe a strong linear relationship between tropical and deep-ocean temperatures, which implies a constant polar amplification factor throughout the generally ice-free Eocene. Quantitative comparison with fully coupled climate model simulations indicates that global average temperatures were about 29, 26, 23 and 19 degrees Celsius in the early, early middle, late middle and late Eocene, respectively, compared to the preindustrial temperature of 14.4 degrees Celsius. Finally, combining proxy- and model-based temperature estimates with available CO2 reconstructions8 yields estimates of an Eocene Earth system sensitivity of 0.9 to 2.3 kelvin per watt per square metre at 68 per cent probability, consistent with the high end of previous estimates11.

Suggested Citation

  • Margot J. Cramwinckel & Matthew Huber & Ilja J. Kocken & Claudia Agnini & Peter K. Bijl & Steven M. Bohaty & Joost Frieling & Aaron Goldner & Frederik J. Hilgen & Elizabeth L. Kip & Francien Peterse &, 2018. "Synchronous tropical and polar temperature evolution in the Eocene," Nature, Nature, vol. 559(7714), pages 382-386, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:559:y:2018:i:7714:d:10.1038_s41586-018-0272-2
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0272-2
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    Cited by:

    1. Xiaojie Fan & Yongchao Lu & Jingyu Zhang & Shiqiang Wu & Liang Zhang & Xiaojuan Du & Qinyu Cui & Hao Wang, 2022. "Lithofacies Characteristics, Depositional Environment and Sequence Stratigraphic Framework in the Saline Lacustrine Basin-A Case Study of the Eocene Low Member of Xingouzui Formation, Jianghan Basin, ," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-17, August.
    2. Isabel Sauermilch & Joanne M. Whittaker & Andreas Klocker & David R. Munday & Katharina Hochmuth & Peter K. Bijl & Joseph H. LaCasce, 2021. "Gateway-driven weakening of ocean gyres leads to Southern Ocean cooling," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-8, December.
    3. Xiaoqing Liu & Matthew Huber & Gavin L. Foster & Andrew Dessler & Yi Ge Zhang, 2022. "Persistent high latitude amplification of the Pacific Ocean over the past 10 million years," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-14, December.

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