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Warm tropical sea surface temperatures in the Late Cretaceous and Eocene epochs

Nature volume 413, pages 481–487 (2001)Cite this article

An Erratum to this article was published on 22 November 2001

Abstract

Climate models with increased levels of carbon dioxide predict that global warming causes heating in the tropics, but investigations of ancient climates based on palaeodata have generally indicated cool tropical temperatures during supposed greenhouse episodes. For example, in the Late Cretaceous and Eocene epochs there is abundant geological evidence for warm, mostly ice-free poles, but tropical sea surface temperatures are generally estimated to be only 15–23 °C, based on oxygen isotope palaeothermometry of surface-dwelling planktonic foraminifer shells. Here we question the validity of most such data on the grounds of poor preservation and diagenetic alteration. We present new data from exceptionally well preserved foraminifer shells extracted from impermeable clay-rich sediments, which indicate that for the intervals studied, tropical sea surface temperatures were at least 28–32 °C. These warm temperatures are more in line with our understanding of the geographical distributions of temperature-sensitive fossil organisms and the results of climate models with increased CO2 levels.

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Figure 1: Multi-species stable isotope array from a typical recrystallized planktonic foraminifer assemblage from the Middle Eocene (DSDP Site 523, Angola basin, South Atlantic Ocean, modified from ref. 26).
Figure 2: Scanning electron micrographs of planktonic foraminifera, contrasting well preserved (a–f) and poorly preserved (g–i) shell textures.
Figure 3: Multi-species stable isotope arrays for a variety of exceptionally well preserved samples.
Figure 4: Comparison of stable isotope data from a typical recrystallized sample (DSDP Site 523, data as in Fig. 1) with a representative sample from this study of approximately the same age (sample RAS 99-17).
Figure 5: Zonal profiles of planktonic foraminifer δ18O as a function of palaeolatitude.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation and A. Karega for field support, and P. Sexton and J. Whittaker for providing SEM images. We also thank V. Premec-Fucek and R. Norris for providing samples for analysis, and C. Hemleben for insights regarding processes of biomineralization and diagenesis in planktonic foraminifer shells.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Queen's Road, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, UK

    Paul N. Pearson, Peter W. Ditchfield & Katherine G. Harcourt-Brown

  2. Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation, PO Box 2774, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania

    Joyce Singano

  3. Department of Geology, Trinity College, Dublin, 2, Ireland

    Christopher J. Nicholas

  4. Department of Geological Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, 08855-1179, New Jersey, USA

    Richard K. Olsson

  5. Godwin Laboratory, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Free School Lane, Cambridge, CB2 3SA, UK

    Nicholas J. Shackleton & Mike A. Hall

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Correspondence to Paul N. Pearson.

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Pearson, P., Ditchfield, P., Singano, J. et al. Warm tropical sea surface temperatures in the Late Cretaceous and Eocene epochs. Nature 413, 481–487 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35097000

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