Tropical sea temperatures in the high-latitude South Pacific during the Eocene

Authors

Christopher J. Hollis, GNS Science
Like Handley, Univ of Bristol
Erica M. Crouch, GNS Science
Hugh E. G. Morgans, GNS Science
Joel A. Baker, Victoria Univ. of Wellington
John Creech, Victoria Univ. of Wellington
Katie S. Collins, Victoria Univ. of Wellington
Samantha J. Gibbs, Univ. of Southhampton
Matthew Huber, Purdue UniversityFollow
Stefan Schouten, NIOZ
James C. Zachos, Univ. of California-Sana Cruz

Abstract

Sea-surface temperature (SST) estimates of ~30 °C from planktic foraminifera and archaeal membrane lipids in bathyal sediments in the Canterbury Basin, New Zealand, support paleontological evidence for a warm subtropical to tropical climate in the early Eocene high-latitude (55°S) southwest Pacific. Such warm SSTs call into question previous estimates based on oxygen isotopes and present a major challenge to climate modelers. Even under hypergreenhouse conditions (2240 ppm CO2), modeled summer SSTs for the New Zealand region do not exceed 20 °C.

Date of this Version

2009

DOI

10.1130/​G25200A.

Repository Citation

Hollis, Christopher J.; Handley, Like; Crouch, Erica M.; Morgans, Hugh E. G.; Baker, Joel A.; Creech, John; Collins, Katie S.; Gibbs, Samantha J.; Huber, Matthew; Schouten, Stefan; and Zachos, James C., "Tropical sea temperatures in the high-latitude South Pacific during the Eocene" (2009). Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Faculty Publications. Paper 56.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/​G25200A.

Volume

37

Issue

2

Pages

99-102

Link Out to Full Text

http://geology.geoscienceworld.org/content/37/2/99