Publication Date:
2024-01-09
Description:
The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) has been attributed to a rapid rise in greenhouse gas levels. If so, warming should have occurred at all latitudes, although amplified toward the poles. Existing records reveal an increase in high-latitude sea surface temperatures (SSTs) (8° to 10°C) and in bottom water temperatures (4° to 5°C). To date, however, the character of the tropical SST response during this event remains unconstrained. Here we address this deficiency by using paired oxygen isotope and minor element (magnesium/calcium) ratios of planktonic foraminifera from a tropical Pacific core to estimate changes in SST. Using mixed-layer foraminifera, we found that the combined proxies imply a 4° to 5°C rise in Pacific SST during the PETM. These results would necessitate a rise in atmospheric pCO2 to levels three to four times as high as those estimated for the late Paleocene.
Keywords:
198-1209B; Acarinina soldadoensis, Magnesium/Calcium ratio; Acarinina soldadoensis, δ13C; Acarinina soldadoensis, δ18O; DEPTH, sediment/rock; DRILL; Drilling/drill rig; DSDP/ODP/IODP sample designation; Joides Resolution; Leg198; Morozovella velascoensis, Magnesium/Calcium ratio; Morozovella velascoensis, δ13C; Morozovella velascoensis, δ18O; North Pacific Ocean; Ocean Drilling Program; ODP; Sample code/label
Type:
Dataset
Format:
text/tab-separated-values, 633 data points
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