Articles | Volume 11, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-11-95-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-11-95-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Drilling disturbance and constraints on the onset of the Paleocene–Eocene boundary carbon isotope excursion in New Jersey
School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK
E. Thomas
Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8109, USA
Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT 06459, USA
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Here we present a comparison of results from the Mg/Ca and oxygen stable isotopes paleothermometers obtained from 57 modern to fossil species of planktonic foraminifera from the last 15 million of years. We find that the occurrence (or not) of species-species offsets in Mg/Ca is conservative between ancestor-descendent species, and that taking into account species kinship can significantly improve temperature reconstructions by several degrees.
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Planktonic foraminifera are marine plankton that have a long and continuous fossil record. They are used for correlating and dating ocean sediments and studying evolution and past climates. This paper presents new information about Pulleniatina, one of the most widespread and abundant groups, from an important site in the Pacific Ocean. It also brings together a very large amount of information on the fossil record from other sites globally.
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Planktonic foraminifera are microscopic single-celled organisms populating world oceans. They have one of the most complete fossil records; thanks to their great abundance, they are widely used to study past marine environments. We analysed and measured series of foraminifera shells from Indo-Pacific sites, which led to the description of a new species of fossil planktonic foraminifera. Part of its population exhibits pink pigmentation, which is only the third such case among known species.
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The microscopic shells of planktonic foraminifera accumulate on the sea floor over millions of years, providing a rich archive for understanding the history of the oceans. We examined an extinct group that flourished between about 63 and 32 million years ago using scanning electron microscopy and show that they were covered with needle-like spines in life. This has implications for analytical methods that we use to determine past seawater temperature and acidity.
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Here we present a comparison of results from the Mg/Ca and oxygen stable isotopes paleothermometers obtained from 57 modern to fossil species of planktonic foraminifera from the last 15 million of years. We find that the occurrence (or not) of species-species offsets in Mg/Ca is conservative between ancestor-descendent species, and that taking into account species kinship can significantly improve temperature reconstructions by several degrees.
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Planktonic foraminifera are marine plankton that have a long and continuous fossil record. They are used for correlating and dating ocean sediments and studying evolution and past climates. This paper presents new information about Pulleniatina, one of the most widespread and abundant groups, from an important site in the Pacific Ocean. It also brings together a very large amount of information on the fossil record from other sites globally.
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Short summary
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Planktonic foraminifera are microscopic single-celled organisms populating world oceans. They have one of the most complete fossil records; thanks to their great abundance, they are widely used to study past marine environments. We analysed and measured series of foraminifera shells from Indo-Pacific sites, which led to the description of a new species of fossil planktonic foraminifera. Part of its population exhibits pink pigmentation, which is only the third such case among known species.
Paul N. Pearson, Eleanor John, Bridget S. Wade, Simon D'haenens, and Caroline H. Lear
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Short summary
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The microscopic shells of planktonic foraminifera accumulate on the sea floor over millions of years, providing a rich archive for understanding the history of the oceans. We examined an extinct group that flourished between about 63 and 32 million years ago using scanning electron microscopy and show that they were covered with needle-like spines in life. This has implications for analytical methods that we use to determine past seawater temperature and acidity.
Flavia Boscolo-Galazzo, Amy Jones, Tom Dunkley Jones, Katherine A. Crichton, Bridget S. Wade, and Paul N. Pearson
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Deep-living organisms are a major yet poorly known component of ocean biomass. Here we reconstruct the evolution of deep-living zooplankton and phytoplankton. Deep-dwelling zooplankton and phytoplankton did not occur 15 Myr ago, when the ocean was several degrees warmer than today. Deep-dwelling species first evolve around 7.5 Myr ago, following global climate cooling. Their evolution was driven by colder ocean temperatures allowing more food, oxygen, and light at depth.
Katherine A. Crichton, Andy Ridgwell, Daniel J. Lunt, Alex Farnsworth, and Paul N. Pearson
Clim. Past, 17, 2223–2254, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2223-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2223-2021, 2021
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The middle Miocene (15 Ma) was a period of global warmth up to 8 °C warmer than present. We investigate changes in ocean circulation and heat distribution since the middle Miocene and the cooling to the present using the cGENIE Earth system model. We create seven time slices at ~2.5 Myr intervals, constrained with paleo-proxy data, showing a progressive reduction in atmospheric CO2 and a strengthening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation.
David K. Hutchinson, Helen K. Coxall, Daniel J. Lunt, Margret Steinthorsdottir, Agatha M. de Boer, Michiel Baatsen, Anna von der Heydt, Matthew Huber, Alan T. Kennedy-Asser, Lutz Kunzmann, Jean-Baptiste Ladant, Caroline H. Lear, Karolin Moraweck, Paul N. Pearson, Emanuela Piga, Matthew J. Pound, Ulrich Salzmann, Howie D. Scher, Willem P. Sijp, Kasia K. Śliwińska, Paul A. Wilson, and Zhongshi Zhang
Clim. Past, 17, 269–315, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-269-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-269-2021, 2021
Short summary
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The Eocene–Oligocene transition was a major climate cooling event from a largely ice-free world to the first major glaciation of Antarctica, approximately 34 million years ago. This paper reviews observed changes in temperature, CO2 and ice sheets from marine and land-based records at this time. We present a new model–data comparison of this transition and find that CO2-forced cooling provides the best explanation of the observed global temperature changes.
Katherine A. Crichton, Jamie D. Wilson, Andy Ridgwell, and Paul N. Pearson
Geosci. Model Dev., 14, 125–149, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-125-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-125-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Temperature is a controller of metabolic processes and therefore also a controller of the ocean's biological carbon pump (BCP). We calibrate a temperature-dependent version of the BCP in the cGENIE Earth system model. Since the pre-industrial period, warming has intensified near-surface nutrient recycling, supporting production and largely offsetting stratification-induced surface nutrient limitation. But at the same time less carbon that sinks out of the surface then reaches the deep ocean.
Kirsty M. Edgar, Steven M. Bohaty, Helen K. Coxall, Paul R. Bown, Sietske J. Batenburg, Caroline H. Lear, and Paul N. Pearson
J. Micropalaeontol., 39, 117–138, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-39-117-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-39-117-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We identify the first continuous carbonate-bearing sediment record from the tropical ocean that spans the entirety of the global warming event, the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum, ca. 40 Ma. We determine significant mismatches between middle Eocene calcareous microfossil datums from the tropical Pacific Ocean and established low-latitude zonation schemes. We highlight the potential of ODP Site 865 for future investigations into environmental and biotic changes throughout the early Paleogene.
Christopher J. Hollis, Tom Dunkley Jones, Eleni Anagnostou, Peter K. Bijl, Marlow Julius Cramwinckel, Ying Cui, Gerald R. Dickens, Kirsty M. Edgar, Yvette Eley, David Evans, Gavin L. Foster, Joost Frieling, Gordon N. Inglis, Elizabeth M. Kennedy, Reinhard Kozdon, Vittoria Lauretano, Caroline H. Lear, Kate Littler, Lucas Lourens, A. Nele Meckler, B. David A. Naafs, Heiko Pälike, Richard D. Pancost, Paul N. Pearson, Ursula Röhl, Dana L. Royer, Ulrich Salzmann, Brian A. Schubert, Hannu Seebeck, Appy Sluijs, Robert P. Speijer, Peter Stassen, Jessica Tierney, Aradhna Tripati, Bridget Wade, Thomas Westerhold, Caitlyn Witkowski, James C. Zachos, Yi Ge Zhang, Matthew Huber, and Daniel J. Lunt
Geosci. Model Dev., 12, 3149–3206, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-3149-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-3149-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The Deep-Time Model Intercomparison Project (DeepMIP) is a model–data intercomparison of the early Eocene (around 55 million years ago), the last time that Earth's atmospheric CO2 concentrations exceeded 1000 ppm. Previously, we outlined the experimental design for climate model simulations. Here, we outline the methods used for compilation and analysis of climate proxy data. The resulting climate
atlaswill provide insights into the mechanisms that control past warm climate states.
Isabel S. Fenton, Ulrike Baranowski, Flavia Boscolo-Galazzo, Hannah Cheales, Lyndsey Fox, David J. King, Christina Larkin, Marcin Latas, Diederik Liebrand, C. Giles Miller, Katrina Nilsson-Kerr, Emanuela Piga, Hazel Pugh, Serginio Remmelzwaal, Zoe A. Roseby, Yvonne M. Smith, Stephen Stukins, Ben Taylor, Adam Woodhouse, Savannah Worne, Paul N. Pearson, Christopher R. Poole, Bridget S. Wade, and Andy Purvis
J. Micropalaeontol., 37, 431–443, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-37-431-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-37-431-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
In this study we investigate consistency in species-level identifications and whether disagreements are predictable. Twenty-three scientists identified a set of 100 planktonic foraminifera, noting their confidence in each identification. The median accuracy of students was 57 %; 79 % for experienced researchers. Where they were confident in the identifications, the values are 75 % and 93 %, respectively. Accuracy was significantly higher if the students had been taught how to identify species.
Paul N. Pearson and IODP Expedition 363 Shipboard Scientific
Party
J. Micropalaeontol., 37, 97–104, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-37-97-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-37-97-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We describe an unusual millimetre-long tube that was discovered in sediment from the deep sea floor. The tube was made by a single-celled organism by cementing together sedimentary grains from its environment. The specimen is unusual because it implies that the organism used a very high degree of discrimination in selecting its grains, as they are all of one type and most are oriented the same way. It raises intriguing questions of how the organism accomplished this activity.
Daniel J. Lunt, Matthew Huber, Eleni Anagnostou, Michiel L. J. Baatsen, Rodrigo Caballero, Rob DeConto, Henk A. Dijkstra, Yannick Donnadieu, David Evans, Ran Feng, Gavin L. Foster, Ed Gasson, Anna S. von der Heydt, Chris J. Hollis, Gordon N. Inglis, Stephen M. Jones, Jeff Kiehl, Sandy Kirtland Turner, Robert L. Korty, Reinhardt Kozdon, Srinath Krishnan, Jean-Baptiste Ladant, Petra Langebroek, Caroline H. Lear, Allegra N. LeGrande, Kate Littler, Paul Markwick, Bette Otto-Bliesner, Paul Pearson, Christopher J. Poulsen, Ulrich Salzmann, Christine Shields, Kathryn Snell, Michael Stärz, James Super, Clay Tabor, Jessica E. Tierney, Gregory J. L. Tourte, Aradhna Tripati, Garland R. Upchurch, Bridget S. Wade, Scott L. Wing, Arne M. E. Winguth, Nicky M. Wright, James C. Zachos, and Richard E. Zeebe
Geosci. Model Dev., 10, 889–901, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-889-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-889-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
In this paper we describe the experimental design for a set of simulations which will be carried out by a range of climate models, all investigating the climate of the Eocene, about 50 million years ago. The intercomparison of model results is called 'DeepMIP', and we anticipate that we will contribute to the next IPCC report through an analysis of these simulations and the geological data to which we will compare them.
L. Giusberti, F. Boscolo Galazzo, and E. Thomas
Clim. Past, 12, 213–240, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-213-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-213-2016, 2016
M. Bordiga, J. Henderiks, F. Tori, S. Monechi, R. Fenero, A. Legarda-Lisarri, and E. Thomas
Clim. Past, 11, 1249–1270, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-11-1249-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-11-1249-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Deep-sea sediments at ODP Site 1263 (Walvis Ridge, South Atlantic) show that marine calcifying algae decreased in abundance and size at the Eocene-Oligocene boundary, when the Earth transitioned from a greenhouse to a more glaciated and cooler climate. This decreased the food supply for benthic foraminifer communities. The plankton rapidly responded to fast-changing conditions, such as seasonal nutrient availability, or to threshold-levels in pCO2, cooling and ocean circulation.
Paul N. Pearson, Sam L. Evans, and James Evans
J. Micropalaeontol., 34, 59–64, https://doi.org/10.1144/jmpaleo2013-032, https://doi.org/10.1144/jmpaleo2013-032, 2015
P. N. Pearson and W. Hudson
Sci. Dril., 18, 13–17, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-18-13-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-18-13-2014, 2014
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Short summary
The Paleocene-to-Eocene thermal maximum was a period of extreme global warming caused by perturbation to the global carbon cycle 56Mya. Evidence from marine sediment cores has been used to suggest that the onset of the event was very rapid, over just 11 years of annually resolved sedimentation. However, we argue that the supposed annual layers are an artifact caused by drilling disturbance, and that the microfossil content of the cores shows the onset took in the order of thousands of years.
The Paleocene-to-Eocene thermal maximum was a period of extreme global warming caused by...