How likely was a green Antarctic peninsula during warm Pliocene interglacials? A critical reassessment based on new palynofloras from James Ross Island
The question whether Pliocene climates were warm enough to support a substantial vegetation cover on Antarctica is of great significance to the ongoing controversial debate on the stability or dynamism of Antarctic ice sheets during Neogene warm periods. Here we present a systematic palynological co...
Published in: | Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology |
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Online Access: | https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/6358/ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2011.01.028 |
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ftunivnorthumb:oai:nrl.northumbria.ac.uk:6358 2023-05-15T13:34:15+02:00 How likely was a green Antarctic peninsula during warm Pliocene interglacials? A critical reassessment based on new palynofloras from James Ross Island Salzmann, Ulrich Riding, James Nelson, Anna Smellie, John 2011 https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/6358/ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2011.01.028 unknown Elsevier Salzmann, Ulrich, Riding, James, Nelson, Anna and Smellie, John (2011) How likely was a green Antarctic peninsula during warm Pliocene interglacials? A critical reassessment based on new palynofloras from James Ross Island. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 309 (1-2). pp. 73-82. ISSN 0031-0182 F800 Physical and Terrestrial Geographical and Environmental Sciences Article PeerReviewed 2011 ftunivnorthumb https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2011.01.028 2022-09-25T05:53:23Z The question whether Pliocene climates were warm enough to support a substantial vegetation cover on Antarctica is of great significance to the ongoing controversial debate on the stability or dynamism of Antarctic ice sheets during Neogene warm periods. Here we present a systematic palynological comparison of pollen and dinoflagellates assemblages of Pliocene diamictites from the northern Antarctic Peninsula. The sedimentary sequences are exceptionally well dated using a combination of 40Ar/39Ar and 87Sr/86Sr on interbedded lavas and pristine bivalve molluscs. The pollen bearing sediments were most probably deposited during warm and seasonally ice-free conditions. Pollen assemblages are dominated by Nothofagidites spp., Podocarpidites spp. and Cyathidites spp., suggesting contamination with older, pre-Neogene material. In order to distinguish between reworked and in-situ palynomorphs, we applied different methods, including fluorescence microscopy, which were used in previous publications to reconstruct potential Neogene vegetation. Our results indicate a purely Cretaceous and early Tertiary origin of pollen and spores and challenge previously published reconstructions of a Pliocene tundra vegetation on Antarctica. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica James Ross Island Ross Island Tundra Northumbria University, Newcastle: Northumbria Research Link (NRL) Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Ross Island Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 309 1-2 73 82 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Northumbria University, Newcastle: Northumbria Research Link (NRL) |
op_collection_id |
ftunivnorthumb |
language |
unknown |
topic |
F800 Physical and Terrestrial Geographical and Environmental Sciences |
spellingShingle |
F800 Physical and Terrestrial Geographical and Environmental Sciences Salzmann, Ulrich Riding, James Nelson, Anna Smellie, John How likely was a green Antarctic peninsula during warm Pliocene interglacials? A critical reassessment based on new palynofloras from James Ross Island |
topic_facet |
F800 Physical and Terrestrial Geographical and Environmental Sciences |
description |
The question whether Pliocene climates were warm enough to support a substantial vegetation cover on Antarctica is of great significance to the ongoing controversial debate on the stability or dynamism of Antarctic ice sheets during Neogene warm periods. Here we present a systematic palynological comparison of pollen and dinoflagellates assemblages of Pliocene diamictites from the northern Antarctic Peninsula. The sedimentary sequences are exceptionally well dated using a combination of 40Ar/39Ar and 87Sr/86Sr on interbedded lavas and pristine bivalve molluscs. The pollen bearing sediments were most probably deposited during warm and seasonally ice-free conditions. Pollen assemblages are dominated by Nothofagidites spp., Podocarpidites spp. and Cyathidites spp., suggesting contamination with older, pre-Neogene material. In order to distinguish between reworked and in-situ palynomorphs, we applied different methods, including fluorescence microscopy, which were used in previous publications to reconstruct potential Neogene vegetation. Our results indicate a purely Cretaceous and early Tertiary origin of pollen and spores and challenge previously published reconstructions of a Pliocene tundra vegetation on Antarctica. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Salzmann, Ulrich Riding, James Nelson, Anna Smellie, John |
author_facet |
Salzmann, Ulrich Riding, James Nelson, Anna Smellie, John |
author_sort |
Salzmann, Ulrich |
title |
How likely was a green Antarctic peninsula during warm Pliocene interglacials? A critical reassessment based on new palynofloras from James Ross Island |
title_short |
How likely was a green Antarctic peninsula during warm Pliocene interglacials? A critical reassessment based on new palynofloras from James Ross Island |
title_full |
How likely was a green Antarctic peninsula during warm Pliocene interglacials? A critical reassessment based on new palynofloras from James Ross Island |
title_fullStr |
How likely was a green Antarctic peninsula during warm Pliocene interglacials? A critical reassessment based on new palynofloras from James Ross Island |
title_full_unstemmed |
How likely was a green Antarctic peninsula during warm Pliocene interglacials? A critical reassessment based on new palynofloras from James Ross Island |
title_sort |
how likely was a green antarctic peninsula during warm pliocene interglacials? a critical reassessment based on new palynofloras from james ross island |
publisher |
Elsevier |
publishDate |
2011 |
url |
https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/6358/ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2011.01.028 |
geographic |
Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Ross Island |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Ross Island |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica James Ross Island Ross Island Tundra |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica James Ross Island Ross Island Tundra |
op_relation |
Salzmann, Ulrich, Riding, James, Nelson, Anna and Smellie, John (2011) How likely was a green Antarctic peninsula during warm Pliocene interglacials? A critical reassessment based on new palynofloras from James Ross Island. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 309 (1-2). pp. 73-82. ISSN 0031-0182 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2011.01.028 |
container_title |
Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology |
container_volume |
309 |
container_issue |
1-2 |
container_start_page |
73 |
op_container_end_page |
82 |
_version_ |
1766050767459844096 |