Abstract

The Paleocene and Eocene Epochs (~66–34 Ma) were important greenhouse periods, characterised by high frequency orbitally-paced events (e.g., hyperthermals) superimposed on long term changes in climate and the carbon cycle. Major changes in the marine and terrestrial biosphere also occurred at this time, synchronous with both high frequency and long-term changes in climate. While many detailed palaeoclimate records have been generated for the enigmatic hyperthermals, such as the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), the general background climate of this period has only been reconstructed at a much lower resolution. This poorly characterised ‘boring background’ hampers our understanding both of the overall climate state of this greenhouse world and the hyperthermals themselves. Here I’ll talk through some new data from the ancient Atlantic and Indian Oceans which help to better characterise background climate and carbon-cycle of the Palaeocene–Eocene.

Three supporting papers:

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2019PA003556

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012821X20303587

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/369/6509/1383.abstract?casa_token=0BWfLrOWyjgAAAAA:AHypTjer434afTBpW43UNHxIH5lALOtLKGbNWpMUugHl3l1L8IbeTuEAKlVhkUrl5_79yL4KtIlZxEw