The planktonic foraminiferal response to the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum on the Atlantic coastal plain

Livsey, Caitlin M.; Babila, Tali L.; Robinson, Marci M.; Bralower, Timothy J.

doi:10.1016/j.marmicro.2018.12.001

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 72 publications

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“…Still, the impact of undersaturation on nannoplankton was exceeded by that of temperature; extracellular coccolithophore groups thought to be sensitive to ocean chemistry took refuge in cool waters at high latitudes [77]. Moreover, increased rates of coccoliths and foraminifera malformation in coastal sites suggest that the pH decline in combination with warming and eutrophication increased stress on planktonic calcifiers [88]. A similar combination of stressors was previously suggested for the collapse of frameworkbuilding corals during the PETM [89].…”

Section: (E) Symbiont Lossmentioning

confidence: 53%

Capturing the global signature of surface ocean acidification during the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum

Babila

Penman

Hönisch

et al. 2018

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

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Geologically abrupt carbon perturbations such as the Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM, approx. 56 Ma) are the closest geological points of comparison to current anthropogenic carbon emissions. Associated with the rapid carbon release during this event are profound environmental changes in the oceans including warming, deoxygenation and acidification. To evaluate the global extent of surface ocean acidification during the PETM, we present a compilation of new and published surface ocean carbonate chemistry and pH reconstructions from various palaeoceanographic settings. We use boron to calcium ratios (B/Ca) and boron isotopes (δB) in surface- and thermocline-dwelling planktonic foraminifera to reconstruct ocean carbonate chemistry and pH. Our records exhibit a B/Ca reduction of 30-40% and a δB decline of 1.0-1.2‰ coeval with the carbon isotope excursion. The tight coupling between boron proxies and carbon isotope records is consistent with the interpretation that oceanic absorption of the carbon released at the onset of the PETM resulted in widespread surface ocean acidification. The remarkable similarity among records from different ocean regions suggests that the degree of ocean carbonate change was globally near uniform. We attribute the global extent of surface ocean acidification to elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide levels during the main phase of the PETM.This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Hyperthermals: rapid and extreme global warming in our geological past'.

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Section: (E) Symbiont Lossmentioning

confidence: 53%

Capturing the global signature of surface ocean acidification during the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum

Babila

Penman

Hönisch

et al. 2018

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

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“…A. sibaiyaensis also appears following the POE but prior to the CIE onset, probably in response to warming sea surface temperatures (Kelly et al, ; Pardo et al, ). This “excursion taxon” also appears prior to the CIE onset elsewhere in the Salisbury Embayment (Livsey et al, ). Although it is unclear what surface water characteristic caused the change in the planktic assemblage prior to the CIE onset, it occurred prior to changes in bottom water.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Environmental and Geomorphological Changes on the Eastern North American Continental Shelf Across the Paleocene‐Eocene Boundary

Robinson

Spivey

2019

Paleoceanog and Paleoclimatol

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Foraminiferal evidence from two sites in southern Maryland, eastern United States, reveals a series of rapid environmental changes on the continental shelf during the onset of the Paleocene‐Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). Benthic and planktic foraminifer assemblages from the South Dover Bridge and Mattawoman Creek‐Billingsley Road coreholes in the central Salisbury Embayment record changing latest Paleocene and earliest Eocene environmental conditions that began prior to the carbon isotope excursion that marks the beginning of the PETM. The foraminiferal response reflects increases in productivity in the bottom water, a minor dissolution event, and sea surface warming in the latest Paleocene. Relative sea level changes, a sudden change in sedimentary regime, and a decrease in bottom water oxygenation occurred in this region across the PETM onset. While South Dover Bridge assemblages support a rise in sea level across the PETM onset, Mattawoman Creek‐Billingsley Road assemblages record a reduction in water depth interpreted as delta progradation and possible tectonic activity. Transitional carbon isotope values are recorded in these delta sediments. We present an initial bathymetric reconstruction of the Salisbury Embayment showing the physical effects of the carbon isotope excursion onset on shelf morphology and highlight the importance of understanding coastal zone processes when examining shelf sediments.

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“…Based on the depth separation between the POE and CIE, the uniform δ 18 O, and a complete sequence of foraminiferal and nannofossil biozones ( 23 , 37 ), it is clear that the records are temporally continuous and unaltered by sediment mixing or slumping. Following the POE, but before the CIE onset, planktonic foraminifera “excursion taxa” appear in the Salisbury Embayment, suggesting a similar ecological and local environment during the latest Paleocene and PETM ( 23 , 38 ). The presence of excursion fauna before the CIE, likely in response to early environmental change and warming ( 13 ), suggests a temporal connection between the POE and the PETM onset.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Surface ocean warming and acidification driven by rapid carbon release precedes Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum

et al. 2022

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The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) is recognized by a major negative carbon isotope (δ 13 C) excursion (CIE) signifying an injection of isotopically light carbon into exogenic reservoirs, the mass, source, and tempo of which continue to be debated. Evidence of a transient precursor carbon release(s) has been identified in a few localities, although it remains equivocal whether there is a global signal. Here, we present foraminiferal δ 13 C records from a marine continental margin section, which reveal a 1.0 to 1.5‰ negative pre-onset excursion (POE), and concomitant rise in sea surface temperature of at least 2°C and a decline in ocean pH. The recovery of both δ 13 C and pH before the CIE onset and apparent absence of a POE in deep-sea records suggests a rapid (< ocean mixing time scales) carbon release, followed by recovery driven by deep-sea mixing. Carbon released during the POE is therefore likely more similar to ongoing anthropogenic emissions in mass and rate than the main CIE.

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The planktonic foraminiferal response to the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum on the Atlantic coastal plain

Cited by 9 publications

References 72 publications

Capturing the global signature of surface ocean acidification during the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum

Capturing the global signature of surface ocean acidification during the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum

Environmental and Geomorphological Changes on the Eastern North American Continental Shelf Across the Paleocene‐Eocene Boundary

Surface ocean warming and acidification driven by rapid carbon release precedes Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum

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