Evidence for Extreme Climatic Warmth from Late Cretaceous Arctic Vertebrates

• Published in: Science
• Main Authors: Tarduno, J. A., Brinkman, D. B., Renne, P. R., Cottrell, R. D., Scher, H., Castillo, P.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1998
• Subjects: Axel Heiberg Island
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.282.5397.2241; https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.282.5397.2241

A Late Cretaceous (92 to 86 million years ago) vertebrate assemblage from the high Canadian Arctic (Axel Heiberg Island) implies that polar climates were warm (mean annual temperature exceeding 14°C) rather than near freezing. The assemblage includes large (2.4 meters long) champsosaurs, which are e...