No extreme bipolar glaciation during the main Eocene calcite compensation shift

Major ice sheets were permanently established on Antarctica approximately 34 million years ago1,2,3, close to the Eocene/Oligocene boundary, at the same time as a permanent deepening of the calcite compensation depth in the world’s oceans4. Until recently, it was thought that Northern Hemisphere gla...

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Published in:Nature
Main Authors: Edgar, Kirsty M, Wilson, Paul, Sexton, Philip F., Suganuma, Yusuke
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: 2007
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/46734/
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spelling ftsouthampton:oai:eprints.soton.ac.uk:46734 2023-07-30T03:59:02+02:00 No extreme bipolar glaciation during the main Eocene calcite compensation shift Edgar, Kirsty M Wilson, Paul Sexton, Philip F. Suganuma, Yusuke 2007-08-23 https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/46734/ unknown Edgar, Kirsty M, Wilson, Paul, Sexton, Philip F. and Suganuma, Yusuke (2007) No extreme bipolar glaciation during the main Eocene calcite compensation shift. Nature, 448, 908–911. (doi:10.1038/nature06053 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature06053>). Article PeerReviewed 2007 ftsouthampton https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06053 2023-07-09T20:52:30Z Major ice sheets were permanently established on Antarctica approximately 34 million years ago1,2,3, close to the Eocene/Oligocene boundary, at the same time as a permanent deepening of the calcite compensation depth in the world’s oceans4. Until recently, it was thought that Northern Hemisphere glaciation began much later, between 11 and 5 million years ago1,2,3,5. This view has been challenged, however, by records of ice rafting at high northern latitudes during the Eocene epoch6,7 and by estimates of global ice volume that exceed the storage capacity of Antarctica8 at the same time as a temporary deepening of the calcite compensation depth ∼41.6 million years ago9. Here we test the hypothesis that large ice sheets were present in both hemispheres ∼41.6 million years ago using marine sediment records of oxygen and carbon isotope values and of calcium carbonate content from the equatorial Atlantic Ocean. These records allow, at most, an ice budget that can easily be accommodated on Antarctica, indicating that large ice sheets were not present in the Northern Hemisphere. The records also reveal a brief interval shortly before the temporary deepening of the calcite compensation depth during which the calcite compensation depth shoaled, ocean temperatures increased and carbon isotope values decreased in the equatorial Atlantic. The nature of these changes around 41.6 million years ago implies common links, in terms of carbon cycling, with events at the Eocene/Oligocene boundary4 and with the ‘hyperthermals’ of the Early Eocene climate optimum3,10,11. Our findings help to resolve the apparent discrepancy between the geological records of Northern Hemisphere glaciation6,7,8 and model results12,13 that indicate that the threshold for continental glaciation was crossed earlier in the Southern Hemisphere than in the Northern Hemisphere. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctica University of Southampton: e-Prints Soton Nature 448 7156 908 911
institution Open Polar
collection University of Southampton: e-Prints Soton
op_collection_id ftsouthampton
language unknown
description Major ice sheets were permanently established on Antarctica approximately 34 million years ago1,2,3, close to the Eocene/Oligocene boundary, at the same time as a permanent deepening of the calcite compensation depth in the world’s oceans4. Until recently, it was thought that Northern Hemisphere glaciation began much later, between 11 and 5 million years ago1,2,3,5. This view has been challenged, however, by records of ice rafting at high northern latitudes during the Eocene epoch6,7 and by estimates of global ice volume that exceed the storage capacity of Antarctica8 at the same time as a temporary deepening of the calcite compensation depth ∼41.6 million years ago9. Here we test the hypothesis that large ice sheets were present in both hemispheres ∼41.6 million years ago using marine sediment records of oxygen and carbon isotope values and of calcium carbonate content from the equatorial Atlantic Ocean. These records allow, at most, an ice budget that can easily be accommodated on Antarctica, indicating that large ice sheets were not present in the Northern Hemisphere. The records also reveal a brief interval shortly before the temporary deepening of the calcite compensation depth during which the calcite compensation depth shoaled, ocean temperatures increased and carbon isotope values decreased in the equatorial Atlantic. The nature of these changes around 41.6 million years ago implies common links, in terms of carbon cycling, with events at the Eocene/Oligocene boundary4 and with the ‘hyperthermals’ of the Early Eocene climate optimum3,10,11. Our findings help to resolve the apparent discrepancy between the geological records of Northern Hemisphere glaciation6,7,8 and model results12,13 that indicate that the threshold for continental glaciation was crossed earlier in the Southern Hemisphere than in the Northern Hemisphere.
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
author Edgar, Kirsty M
Wilson, Paul
Sexton, Philip F.
Suganuma, Yusuke
spellingShingle Edgar, Kirsty M
Wilson, Paul
Sexton, Philip F.
Suganuma, Yusuke
No extreme bipolar glaciation during the main Eocene calcite compensation shift
author_facet Edgar, Kirsty M
Wilson, Paul
Sexton, Philip F.
Suganuma, Yusuke
author_sort Edgar, Kirsty M
title No extreme bipolar glaciation during the main Eocene calcite compensation shift
title_short No extreme bipolar glaciation during the main Eocene calcite compensation shift
title_full No extreme bipolar glaciation during the main Eocene calcite compensation shift
title_fullStr No extreme bipolar glaciation during the main Eocene calcite compensation shift
title_full_unstemmed No extreme bipolar glaciation during the main Eocene calcite compensation shift
title_sort no extreme bipolar glaciation during the main eocene calcite compensation shift
publishDate 2007
url https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/46734/
genre Antarc*
Antarctica
genre_facet Antarc*
Antarctica
op_relation Edgar, Kirsty M, Wilson, Paul, Sexton, Philip F. and Suganuma, Yusuke (2007) No extreme bipolar glaciation during the main Eocene calcite compensation shift. Nature, 448, 908–911. (doi:10.1038/nature06053 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature06053>).
op_doi https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06053
container_title Nature
container_volume 448
container_issue 7156
container_start_page 908
op_container_end_page 911
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