An early Cambrian greenhouse climate

The oceans of the early Cambrian (similar to 541 to 509 million years ago) were the setting for a marked diversification of animal life. However, sea temperatures-a key component of the early Cambrian marine environment-remain unconstrained, in part because of a substantial time gap in the stable ox...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science Advances
Main Authors: Wong Hearing, Thomas, Harvey, Thomas H. P., Williams, Mark, Leng, Melanie J., Lamb, Angela L., Wilby, Philip R., Gabbott, Sarah E., Pohl, Alexandre, Donnadieu, Yannick
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2018
Subjects:
Earth and Environmental Sciences
stable oxygen isotopes
sea surface temperature
Cambrian
small shelly fossils
greenhouse climate
OXYGEN ISOTOPIC COMPOSITION
SEA-SURFACE TEMPERATURE
EOCENE THERMAL MAXIMUM
PLANKTONIC-FORAMINIFERA
ATMOSPHERIC CO2
OCEAN
ORDOVICIAN
PHOSPHATE
PACIFIC
DELTA-O-18
Pacific
Planktonic foraminifera
Online Access:https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8695452
http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8695452
https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aar5690
https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8695452/file/8695483
Description
Summary:The oceans of the early Cambrian (similar to 541 to 509 million years ago) were the setting for a marked diversification of animal life. However, sea temperatures-a key component of the early Cambrian marine environment-remain unconstrained, in part because of a substantial time gap in the stable oxygen isotope (delta O-18) record before the evolution of euconodonts. We show that previously overlooked sources of fossil biogenic phosphate have the potential to fill this gap. Pristine phosphatic microfossils from the Comley Limestones, UK, yield a robust delta O-18 signature, suggesting sea surface temperatures of 20 degrees to 25 degrees C at high southern paleolatitudes (similar to 65 degrees S to 70 degrees S) between similar to 514 and 509 million years ago. These sea temperatures are consistent with the distribution of coeval evaporite and calcrete deposits, peak continental weathering rates, and also our climate model simulations for this interval. Our results support an early Cambrian greenhouse climate comparable to those of the late Mesozoic and early Cenozoic, offering a framework for exploring the interplay between biotic and environmental controls on Cambrian animal diversification.

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