Climate transition at the Eocene–Oligocene influenced by bathymetric changes to the Atlantic–Arctic oceanic gateways

Straume, Eivind Olavson; Nummelin, Aleksi; Gaina, Carmen; Nisancioglu, Kerim H.

doi:10.1073/pnas.2115346119

Cited by 32 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…Further north, 185 thermal uplift and lava delta progradation narrowed the Norwegian-Greenland Seaway to possibly as little as 50 km of open water (Hovikoski et al, 2021), potentially isolating the North Sea from the intra-rift seaways of the northern Norwegian margin (Figure 1). While the Central Spitsbergen Basin in Svalbard was not directly connected to the Arctic due to the Eurekan deformation (Straume et al, 2022), there was likely a broad seaway across the Barents Shelf that 190 connected the Norwegian-Greenland Seaway with the Arctic Ocean somewhere between Svalbard and Novaya Zemlya (Prøis, 2015) (Figure 1). To the east of the North Sea, there may also have been a shallow seawater connection to the Peri-Tethys through eastern Europe (Radionova et al, 2003).…”

Section: Regional Upliftmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracing North Atlantic volcanism and seaway connectivity across the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM)

Jones

Stokke

Rooney

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Abstract. There is a temporal correlation between the peak activity of the North Atlantic Igneous Province (NAIP) and the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), suggesting that the NAIP may have initiated and/or prolonged this extreme warming event. However, corroborating a causal relationship is hampered by a scarcity of expanded sedimentary records that contain both climatic and volcanic proxies. One locality hosting such a record is Fur Island in Denmark, where an expanded pre- to post-PETM succession containing hundreds of NAIP ash layers is exceptionally well preserved. We compiled a range of environmental proxies, including mercury (Hg) anomalies, paleotemperature proxies, and lithium (Li) and osmium (Os) isotopes, to trace NAIP activity, hydrological changes, weathering, and seawater connectivity across this interval. Volcanic proxies suggest that NAIP activity was elevated before the PETM and appears to have peaked during the body of the δ13C excursion, but decreased considerably during the PETM recovery. This suggests that the acme in NAIP activity, dominated by flood basalt volcanism and thermogenic degassing from contact metamorphism, was likely confined to just ~200 kyr (ca. 56.0–55.8 Ma). The hundreds of thick basaltic ashes in the post-PETM strata likely represent a change from effusive to explosive activity, rather than an increase in NAIP activity. Detrital δ7Li values and clay abundances suggest that volcanic ash production increased basaltic reactive surface area, likely enhancing silicate weathering and atmospheric carbon sequestration in the early Eocene. Signals in lipid biomarkers and Os isotopes, traditionally used to trace paleotemperature and weathering changes, are used here to track seaway connectivity. These proxies indicate that the North Sea was rapidly cut off from the North Atlantic in under 12 kyr during the PETM recovery due to NAIP thermal uplift. Our findings reinforce the hypothesis that the emplacement of the NAIP had a profound and complex impact on Paleocene–Eocene climate, both directly through volcanic and thermogenic degassing, and indirectly by driving regional uplift and changing seaway connectivity.

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Section: Regional Upliftmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracing North Atlantic volcanism and seaway connectivity across the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM)

Jones

Stokke

Rooney

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…The EOT cooling was also responsible for the establishment of strong latitudinal temperature gradients, which has suggested that this phenomenon was the precursor of present-day Earth's global climatic zonation (Pagani et al, 2011;Straume et al, 2022). During the Eocene, a low-temperature gradient existed, manifested as high-latitude temperatures 20-40 °C higher than those today and tropical temperatures only 5-10 °C above present ones (Huber & Sloan, 2000;Huber, 2008;Bijl et al, 2009;Huber & Caballero, 2011), along with the occurrence of frost-intolerant flora and fauna at high latitudes (Greenwod & Wing, 1995).…”

Section: The Eocene-oligocene Transitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The EOT cooling and the glaciation of Antarctica have been linked to the interplay of three main mechanisms, namely, a significant reduction in global atmospheric CO 2 concentration, the establishment of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) and ice sheet growth (DeConto & Pollard, 2003;Hutchinson et al, 2021;Straume et al, 2022). During the EOT, pCO 2 values experienced an outstanding decline from ~1000 ppm in the Priabonian to 700-800 ppm in the Rupelian, which significantly reduced the greenhouse effect.…”

Section: The Eocene-oligocene Transitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, it has also been suggested that connections between the Arctic and North Atlantic through the Fram Strait and the Greenland-Scotland Rise (Fig. 5) could have played a role in EOT cooling and Antarctic glaciation by regulating the southward flow of cold Arctic freshwaters (Straume et al, 2022). According to the available modeling outputs, albedo-driven changes in radiative forcing due to the growth of the Antarctic ice sheet would have played a secondary role (Hutchinson et al, 2021).…”

Section: The Eocene-oligocene Transitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Eocene/Oligocene global disruption and the revolution of Caribbean mangroves

Rull¹

2022

Preprint

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In a recent paper, the author demonstrated that, in contrast with the prevailing view of eventual gradual regional differentiation from a hypothetical Cretaceous pantropical mangrove belt around the Tethys Sea, the Caribbean mangroves originated de novo in the Eocene after the evolutionary appearance of the first mangrove-forming tree species known for the region, the ancestor of the extant Pelliciera. This paper represents a second step in the analysis of the evolution of Caribbean mangroves dealing with the most important change experienced by these communities, occurring across the Eocene‒Oligocene transition (EOT), which is termed here the Caribbean mangrove revolution. This shift consisted of the disappearance of the primeval Pelliciera mangroves and their replacement by mangrove communities dominated by Rhizophora, a newly emerged mangrove tree that still dominates extant Caribbean mangroves. This paper first reviews the available literature on the EOT global disruption (tectonic and paleogeographic reorganizations, ocean circulation, cooling, Antarctic glaciation, sea-level fall) and its regional manifestations in the study area, along with the corresponding biotic responses. This provides the paleoenvironmental framework with which to analyze the EOT mangrove revolution using the nearly 80 pollen records available for the region. In the circum-Caribbean region, cooling of 3-6 °C and a sea-level fall of 67 m were recorded between 33.8 and 33.5 Ma, which led to significant shifts in dispersal pathways and barriers, as well as in marine paleocurrents. Late Eocene mangroves were dominated by the autochthonous Pelliciera (up to 60% of pollen assemblages), while Rhizophora, which likely arrived from the Indo-Pacific region by long-distance dispersal, was absent or very scarce. After the EOT, the situation was radically different, as the mangroves were widely dominated by Rhizophora, and Pelliciera, when present, was a subordinate mangrove element (<10%). At the same time, Pelliciera, which had been restricted to a small patch (Central America and NW South America or CA/NWSA) during the Eocene, expanded its range across the Caribbean and beyond, always as a minor component of Rhizophora mangroves. The dominance shift could have been due to the cooling, by favoring the expansion of the euryclimatic and vagile Rhizophora over the stenoclimatic Pelliciera, of limited dispersal ability. This is considered a case of competitor coexistence by niche segregation. In addition, Rhizophora could have facilitated the expansion of Pelliciera by providing refuge against environmental and biotic stressors, notably light intensity and salinity. The Eocene Pelliciera mangroves never returned, but this species survived to the present as a minor element and experienced significant range shifts along three main phases, namely, EOT–Miocene expansion to the whole neotropics, Mio-Pliocene contraction to the southern Caribbean margin and Pliocene to recent reorganization to the original Eocene CA/NWSA location. The potential role of Neogene and Pleistocene climatic shifts and human activities in these biogeographical loops (taxon cycles) is discussed, with an emphasis on precipitation. The paper ends by suggesting some prospects for future research.

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“…This era is considered a replica of future climates owing to the high projected greenhouse gas concentrations [29][30][31]. Paleoclimatic model simulations [32][33][34] have thus been used to understand past climate change and its features.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elevation-dependent temperature response in early Eocene using paleoclimate model experiment

Kad

Blau

et al. 2022

Environ. Res. Lett.

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Mountains become warmer with elevation in response to greenhouse gas warming, an effect known as elevation-dependent warming (EDW). The Eocene is considered a replica of the future climate in an epoch with high atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration (CO2). Therefore, the topographic features of the Eocene strata are of interest. However, obtaining proxy data for mountain regions during the Eocene hothouse is challenging. Paleoclimate model simulation is an effective tool for exploring past climate change. Therefore, we conducted sensitivity experiment simulations employing the Community Earth System Model version 1.2 (CESM1.2) forced by proxy-estimated CO2 levels. This is the first Eocene study demonstrating the elevation-dependent temperature changes and illustrated using the surface energy budget decomposition. Here five major mountain ranges have been chosen based on their paleogeographic continental location. We found a nonlinear response of elevation-dependent temperature change to CO2 concentrations regulated by seasonal variations. The radiative and non-radiative feedback compensation is responsible for the elevation-dependency temperature changes. Our results suggest temperature perturbations regulate elevation-dependent changes in skin temperature through a combination of feedback under greenhouse warming in the early Eocene. These findings also show future paradox response exhibiting elevation-dependent cooling overall mountain regions due to lower elevation warming.

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Climate transition at the Eocene–Oligocene influenced by bathymetric changes to the Atlantic–Arctic oceanic gateways

Cited by 32 publications

References 68 publications

Tracing North Atlantic volcanism and seaway connectivity across the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM)

Tracing North Atlantic volcanism and seaway connectivity across the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM)

Eocene/Oligocene global disruption and the revolution of Caribbean mangroves

Elevation-dependent temperature response in early Eocene using paleoclimate model experiment

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