Warming the fuel for the fire: Evidence for the thermal dissociation of methane hydrate during the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum

Thomas, Deborah J; Zachos, James C; Bralower, Timothy J.; Thomas, Ellen; Bohaty, Steven M

doi:10.1130/0091-7613(2002)030<1067:wtfftf>2.0.co;2

Cited by 322 publications

(385 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…The temperature-density relationship of seawater (1.9 Â 10 À2 %volume/°C) requires a 3 -5 m rise in sea level from the $5°C ocean warming recorded during the PETM [Kennett and Stott, 1991;Zachos et al, 1993;Thomas and Shackleton, 1996;Thomas et al, 2002;Zachos et al, 2003;Tripati and Elderfield, 2005;Zachos et al, 2006]. Our most expanded records from New Jersey indeed show a reasonable correlation between sea level rise and local PETM surface warming (likely synchronous with deep ocean warming on timescales of 1 or a few thousand years) (Figures 3 and 4).…”

Section: Steric Effectmentioning

confidence: 68%

Eustatic variations during the Paleocene‐Eocene greenhouse world

et al. 2008

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[1] We reconstruct eustatic variations during the latest Paleocene and earliest Eocene ($58-52 Ma). Dinoflagellate cysts, grain size fractions, and organic biomarkers in marine sections at four sites from three continents indicate an increased distance to the coast during the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM). The same trend is recognized in published records from other sites around the world. Together, the data indicate a eustatic rise during the PETM, beginning 20 to 200 ka before the globally recorded negative carbon isotope excursion (CIE) at $55.5 Ma. Although correlations are tentative, we recognize other global transgressions during Chrons C25n and C24n. The latter may be associated with Eocene Thermal Maximum 2 ($53.5 Ma) or the ''X''-event ($52 Ma). These results suggest a link between global sea level and ''hyperthermal'' intervals, potentially because of the melting of small alpine ice sheets on Antarctica, thermal expansion of seawater, or both. However, the early onset of sea level rise relative to the CIE of the PETM suggests contributions from other mechanisms, perhaps decreasing ocean basin volume, on sea level rise.

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Section: Steric Effectmentioning

confidence: 68%

Eustatic variations during the Paleocene‐Eocene greenhouse world

et al. 2008

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“…Some deep-ocean records suggest a stratigraphic lag between the onset of the CIE recorded in mixed layer dwelling foraminifera and the onset in deeper dwelling thermocline species (Thomas et al 2002;Zachos et al 2007). The approximately 5 kyr duration of this inferred topdown propagation of the d 13 C signal from the surface ocean to the thermocline is, however, contrary to current understanding of ocean physics and circulation, even allowing for enhanced warming-induced stratification.…”

Section: The Petm and Methane Hydratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…55.5 Ma) is the most prominent transient global warming event recorded in the Cenozoic geological record. PETM palaeotemperature proxy data from some localities indicate a rapid surface ocean warming of approximately 5-9 • C within 1-10 kyr (Thomas et al 2002;Sluijs et al 2007). Near synchronous with this warming are prominent negative carbon isotopic excursions (CIEs) recorded in both marine carbonates (−3.5 to −4‰; Zachos et al 2007) and terrestrial carbon (−5 to −6‰; Bowen et al 2004), indicative of a massive release of isotopically light carbon to the ocean-atmosphere system (Dickens et al 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Palaeogene perspective on climate sensitivity and methane hydrate instability

Jones

Ridgwell

Lunt

et al. 2010

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

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The Palaeocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM), a rapid global warming event and carbon-cycle perturbation of the early Palaeogene, provides a unique test of climate and carbon-cycle models as well as our understanding of sedimentary methane hydrate stability, albeit under conditions very different from the modern. The principal expression of the PETM in the geological record is a large and rapid negative excursion in the carbon isotopic composition of carbonates and organic matter from both marine and terrestrial environments. Palaeotemperature proxy data from across the PETM indicate a coincident increase in global surface temperatures of approximately 5-6 • C. Reliable estimates of atmospheric CO 2 changes and global warming through past transient climate events can provide an important test of the climate sensitivities reproduced by state-of-the-art atmosphere-ocean general circulation models. Here, we synthesize the available carbon-cycle model estimates of the magnitude of the carbon input to the ocean-atmosphere-biosphere system, and the consequent atmospheric pCO 2 perturbation, through the PETM. We also review the theoretical mass balance arguments and available sedimentary evidence for the role of massive methane hydrate dissociation in this event. The plausible range of carbon mass input, approximately 4000-7000 PgC, strongly suggests a major alternative source of carbon in addition to any contribution from methane hydrates. We find that the potential range of PETM atmospheric pCO 2 increase, combined with proxy estimates of the PETM temperature anomaly, does not necessarily imply climate sensitivities beyond the range of state-of-the-art climate models.

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“…1), based on the Mg/Ca ratio and  18 O composition of planktonic foraminifera (Kennett and Stott, 1991;Thomas et al, 2002;Tripati and Elderfield, 2005;Zachos et al, 2003). Unfortunately, these records are often affected by redeposition of secondary calcite during early diagenesis (Pearson et al, 2001;Schrag, 1999) and carbonate dissolution due to the vertical progradation of the lysocline (Stap et al, 2009;Zachos et al, 2005;Zeebe and Zachos, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%