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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National Academy of Sciences
2014
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fttno:oai:tudelft.nl:uuid:163ff425-cac9-4304-b3c7-d5b8c0be3e1e 2023-05-15T13:40:58+02:00 Pronounced zonal heterogeneity in Eocene southern high-latitude sea surface temperatures: Douglas, P.M.J. Affek, H.P. Ivany, L.C. Houben, A.J.P. Sijp, W.P. Sluijs, A. Schouten, S. Pagani, M. 2014-01-01 http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:163ff425-cac9-4304-b3c7-d5b8c0be3e1e en eng National Academy of Sciences uuid:163ff425-cac9-4304-b3c7-d5b8c0be3e1e 503267 http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:163ff425-cac9-4304-b3c7-d5b8c0be3e1e Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 18, 111, 6582-6587 Geosciences Climate modeling Clumped isotopes High-latitude climate Organic geochemistry Paleooceanography Calcium carbonate Strontium Antarctica Benthic foraminifera Eocene Geochemistry Latitude Nonhuman Paleoclimate sea surface temperature Sediment Simulation Thermohaline circulation Geological Survey Netherlands Energy / Geological Survey Netherlands Earth / Environmental PG - Petroleum Geosciences ELSS - Earth Life and Social Sciences article 2014 fttno 2022-04-10T15:46:54Z 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. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica Ross Sea Seymour Island TU Delft: Institutional Repository (Delft University of Technology) Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Pacific Ross Sea Seymour ENVELOPE(-56.767,-56.767,-64.283,-64.283) Seymour Island ENVELOPE(-56.750,-56.750,-64.283,-64.283) The Antarctic |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
TU Delft: Institutional Repository (Delft University of Technology) |
op_collection_id |
fttno |
language |
English |
topic |
Geosciences Climate modeling Clumped isotopes High-latitude climate Organic geochemistry Paleooceanography Calcium carbonate Strontium Antarctica Benthic foraminifera Eocene Geochemistry Latitude Nonhuman Paleoclimate sea surface temperature Sediment Simulation Thermohaline circulation Geological Survey Netherlands Energy / Geological Survey Netherlands Earth / Environmental PG - Petroleum Geosciences ELSS - Earth Life and Social Sciences |
spellingShingle |
Geosciences Climate modeling Clumped isotopes High-latitude climate Organic geochemistry Paleooceanography Calcium carbonate Strontium Antarctica Benthic foraminifera Eocene Geochemistry Latitude Nonhuman Paleoclimate sea surface temperature Sediment Simulation Thermohaline circulation Geological Survey Netherlands Energy / Geological Survey Netherlands Earth / Environmental PG - Petroleum Geosciences ELSS - Earth Life and Social Sciences Douglas, P.M.J. Affek, H.P. Ivany, L.C. Houben, A.J.P. Sijp, W.P. Sluijs, A. Schouten, S. Pagani, M. Pronounced zonal heterogeneity in Eocene southern high-latitude sea surface temperatures: |
topic_facet |
Geosciences Climate modeling Clumped isotopes High-latitude climate Organic geochemistry Paleooceanography Calcium carbonate Strontium Antarctica Benthic foraminifera Eocene Geochemistry Latitude Nonhuman Paleoclimate sea surface temperature Sediment Simulation Thermohaline circulation Geological Survey Netherlands Energy / Geological Survey Netherlands Earth / Environmental PG - Petroleum Geosciences ELSS - Earth Life and Social Sciences |
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. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Douglas, P.M.J. Affek, H.P. Ivany, L.C. Houben, A.J.P. Sijp, W.P. Sluijs, A. Schouten, S. Pagani, M. |
author_facet |
Douglas, P.M.J. Affek, H.P. Ivany, L.C. Houben, A.J.P. Sijp, W.P. Sluijs, A. Schouten, S. Pagani, M. |
author_sort |
Douglas, P.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 |
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:163ff425-cac9-4304-b3c7-d5b8c0be3e1e |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-56.767,-56.767,-64.283,-64.283) ENVELOPE(-56.750,-56.750,-64.283,-64.283) |
geographic |
Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Pacific Ross Sea Seymour Seymour Island The Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Pacific Ross Sea Seymour Seymour Island The Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica Ross Sea Seymour Island |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica Ross Sea Seymour Island |
op_source |
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 18, 111, 6582-6587 |
op_relation |
uuid:163ff425-cac9-4304-b3c7-d5b8c0be3e1e 503267 http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:163ff425-cac9-4304-b3c7-d5b8c0be3e1e |
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1766143875206873088 |