Pronounced zonal heterogeneity in Eocene southern high-latitude sea surface temperatures
Paleoclimate studies suggest that increased global warmth during the Eocene epoch was greatly amplified at high latitudes, a state that climate models cannot fully reproduce. However, proxy estimates of Eocene near-Antarctic sea surface temperatures (SSTs) have produced widely divergent results at s...
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ftcaltechauth:oai:authors.library.caltech.edu:yf78t-7as94 2024-10-13T14:02:14+00:00 Pronounced zonal heterogeneity in Eocene southern high-latitude sea surface temperatures Douglas, Peter M. J. Affek, Hagit P. Ivany, Linda C. Houben, Alexander J. P. Sijp, Willem P. Sluijs, Appy Schouten, Stefan Pagani, Mark 2014-05-06 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1321441111 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/PMC4020054 unknown National Academy of Sciences https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1321441111 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/PMC4020054 eprintid:46171 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Other Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 111(18), 6582-6587, (2014-05-06) paleooceanography clumped isotopes organic geochemistry climate modeling high-latitude climate info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2014 ftcaltechauth https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1321441111 2024-09-25T18:46:40Z Paleoclimate studies suggest that increased global warmth during the Eocene epoch was greatly amplified at high latitudes, a state that climate models cannot fully reproduce. However, proxy estimates of Eocene near-Antarctic sea surface temperatures (SSTs) have produced widely divergent results at similar latitudes, with SSTs above 20 °C in the southwest Pacific contrasting with SSTs between 5 and 15 °C in the South Atlantic. Validation of this zonal temperature difference has been impeded by uncertainties inherent to the individual paleotemperature proxies applied at these sites. Here, we present multiproxy data from Seymour Island, near the Antarctic Peninsula, that provides well-constrained evidence for annual SSTs of 10–17 °C (1σ SD) during the middle and late Eocene. Comparison of the same paleotemperature proxy at Seymour Island and at the East Tasman Plateau indicate the presence of a large and consistent middle-to-late Eocene SST gradient of ∼7 °C between these two sites located at similar paleolatitudes. Intermediate-complexity climate model simulations suggest that enhanced oceanic heat transport in the South Pacific, driven by deep-water formation in the Ross Sea, was largely responsible for the observed SST gradient. These results indicate that very warm SSTs, in excess of 18 °C, did not extend uniformly across the Eocene southern high latitudes, and suggest that thermohaline circulation may partially control the distribution of high-latitude ocean temperatures in greenhouse climates. The pronounced zonal SST heterogeneity evident in the Eocene cautions against inferring past meridional temperature gradients using spatially limited data within given latitudinal bands. © 2014 National Academy of Sciences. Published online before print April 21, 2014. Edited by Mark H. Thiemens, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, and approved March 21, 2014 (received for review November 15, 2013). Gerard Olack, Dominic Colosi, and Glendon Hunsinger provided assistance with clumped isotope ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Ross Sea Seymour Island Caltech Authors (California Institute of Technology) Antarctic The Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Ross Sea Pacific Seymour ENVELOPE(-56.767,-56.767,-64.283,-64.283) Seymour Island ENVELOPE(-56.750,-56.750,-64.283,-64.283) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111 18 6582 6587 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Caltech Authors (California Institute of Technology) |
op_collection_id |
ftcaltechauth |
language |
unknown |
topic |
paleooceanography clumped isotopes organic geochemistry climate modeling high-latitude climate |
spellingShingle |
paleooceanography clumped isotopes organic geochemistry climate modeling high-latitude climate Douglas, Peter M. J. Affek, Hagit P. Ivany, Linda C. Houben, Alexander J. P. Sijp, Willem P. Sluijs, Appy Schouten, Stefan Pagani, Mark Pronounced zonal heterogeneity in Eocene southern high-latitude sea surface temperatures |
topic_facet |
paleooceanography clumped isotopes organic geochemistry climate modeling high-latitude climate |
description |
Paleoclimate studies suggest that increased global warmth during the Eocene epoch was greatly amplified at high latitudes, a state that climate models cannot fully reproduce. However, proxy estimates of Eocene near-Antarctic sea surface temperatures (SSTs) have produced widely divergent results at similar latitudes, with SSTs above 20 °C in the southwest Pacific contrasting with SSTs between 5 and 15 °C in the South Atlantic. Validation of this zonal temperature difference has been impeded by uncertainties inherent to the individual paleotemperature proxies applied at these sites. Here, we present multiproxy data from Seymour Island, near the Antarctic Peninsula, that provides well-constrained evidence for annual SSTs of 10–17 °C (1σ SD) during the middle and late Eocene. Comparison of the same paleotemperature proxy at Seymour Island and at the East Tasman Plateau indicate the presence of a large and consistent middle-to-late Eocene SST gradient of ∼7 °C between these two sites located at similar paleolatitudes. Intermediate-complexity climate model simulations suggest that enhanced oceanic heat transport in the South Pacific, driven by deep-water formation in the Ross Sea, was largely responsible for the observed SST gradient. These results indicate that very warm SSTs, in excess of 18 °C, did not extend uniformly across the Eocene southern high latitudes, and suggest that thermohaline circulation may partially control the distribution of high-latitude ocean temperatures in greenhouse climates. The pronounced zonal SST heterogeneity evident in the Eocene cautions against inferring past meridional temperature gradients using spatially limited data within given latitudinal bands. © 2014 National Academy of Sciences. Published online before print April 21, 2014. Edited by Mark H. Thiemens, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, and approved March 21, 2014 (received for review November 15, 2013). Gerard Olack, Dominic Colosi, and Glendon Hunsinger provided assistance with clumped isotope ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Douglas, Peter M. J. Affek, Hagit P. Ivany, Linda C. Houben, Alexander J. P. Sijp, Willem P. Sluijs, Appy Schouten, Stefan Pagani, Mark |
author_facet |
Douglas, Peter M. J. Affek, Hagit P. Ivany, Linda C. Houben, Alexander J. P. Sijp, Willem P. Sluijs, Appy Schouten, Stefan Pagani, Mark |
author_sort |
Douglas, Peter M. J. |
title |
Pronounced zonal heterogeneity in Eocene southern high-latitude sea surface temperatures |
title_short |
Pronounced zonal heterogeneity in Eocene southern high-latitude sea surface temperatures |
title_full |
Pronounced zonal heterogeneity in Eocene southern high-latitude sea surface temperatures |
title_fullStr |
Pronounced zonal heterogeneity in Eocene southern high-latitude sea surface temperatures |
title_full_unstemmed |
Pronounced zonal heterogeneity in Eocene southern high-latitude sea surface temperatures |
title_sort |
pronounced zonal heterogeneity in eocene southern high-latitude sea surface temperatures |
publisher |
National Academy of Sciences |
publishDate |
2014 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1321441111 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/PMC4020054 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-56.767,-56.767,-64.283,-64.283) ENVELOPE(-56.750,-56.750,-64.283,-64.283) |
geographic |
Antarctic The Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Ross Sea Pacific Seymour Seymour Island |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic The Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Ross Sea Pacific Seymour Seymour Island |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Ross Sea Seymour Island |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Ross Sea Seymour Island |
op_source |
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 111(18), 6582-6587, (2014-05-06) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1321441111 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/PMC4020054 eprintid:46171 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Other |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1321441111 |
container_title |
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |
container_volume |
111 |
container_issue |
18 |
container_start_page |
6582 |
op_container_end_page |
6587 |
_version_ |
1812815788894060544 |