Surface-circulation change in the southwest Pacific Ocean across the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum: inferences from dinoflagellate cysts and biomarker paleothermometry

Cramwinckel, Margot J.; Woelders, Lineke; Huurdeman, Emiel P.; Peterse, Francien; Gallagher, Stephen J.; Pross, Jörg; Burgess, Catherine E.; Reichart, Gert-Jan; Sluijs, Appy; Bijl, Peter K.

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-1667-2020

Articles | Volume 16, issue 5

https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-1667-2020

© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-1667-2020

© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 16, issue 5

Research article

|

01 Sep 2020

Research article |

| 01 Sep 2020

Surface-circulation change in the southwest Pacific Ocean across the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum: inferences from dinoflagellate cysts and biomarker paleothermometry

Margot J. Cramwinckel, Lineke Woelders, Emiel P. Huurdeman, Francien Peterse, Stephen J. Gallagher, Jörg Pross, Catherine E. Burgess, Gert-Jan Reichart, Appy Sluijs, and Peter K. Bijl

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-1667-2020-supplement

Data sets

Surface-circulation change in the southwest Pacific Ocean across the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum: inferences from dinoflagellate cysts and biomarker paleothermometry Margot J. Cramwinckel https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/TZM9K

Short summary

Phases of past transient warming can be used as a test bed to study the environmental response to climate change independent of tectonic change. Using fossil plankton and organic molecules, here we reconstruct surface ocean temperature and circulation in and around the Tasman Gateway during a warming phase 40 million years ago termed the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum. We find that plankton assemblages track ocean circulation patterns, with superimposed variability being related to temperature.