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Increased seasonality through the Eocene to Oligocene transition in northern high latitudes

Nature volume 459, pages 969–973 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

A profound global climate shift took place at the Eocene–Oligocene transition (∼33.5 million years ago) when Cretaceous/early Palaeogene greenhouse conditions gave way to icehouse conditions1,2,3. During this interval, changes in the Earth’s orbit and a long-term drop in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations4,5,6 resulted in both the growth of Antarctic ice sheets to approximately their modern size2,3 and the appearance of Northern Hemisphere glacial ice7,8. However, palaeoclimatic studies of this interval are contradictory: although some analyses indicate no major climatic changes9,10, others imply cooler temperatures11, increased seasonality12,13 and/or aridity12,13,14,15. Climatic conditions in high northern latitudes over this interval are particularly poorly known. Here we present northern high-latitude terrestrial climate estimates for the Eocene to Oligocene interval, based on bioclimatic analysis of terrestrially derived spore and pollen assemblages preserved in marine sediments from the Norwegian–Greenland Sea. Our data indicate a cooling of ∼5 °C in cold-month (winter) mean temperatures to 0–2 °C, and a concomitant increased seasonality before the Oi-1 glaciation event. These data indicate that a cooling component is indeed incorporated in the δ18O isotope shift across the Eocene–Oligocene transition. However, the relatively warm summer temperatures at that time mean that continental ice on East Greenland was probably restricted to alpine outlet glaciers.

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Figure 1: Data from ODP site 913.
Figure 2: Data from ODP sites 985 and 643.
Figure 3: Data from ODP sites 913, 643 and 985, Norwegian–Greenland Sea.
Figure 4: Model surface temperature results (shown in °C) supporting bioclimatic estimates.

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Acknowledgements

This research used samples provided by the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP). ODP was sponsored by the US National Science Foundation (NSF) and participating countries under management of Consortium for Ocean Leadership. D.R.G.’s research is supported by NSERC (Canada). We thank S. Akbari for sample preparation.

Author Contributions J.S.E. and I.C.H. conceived the project, collected samples and data, and completed the palynological interpretation. D.R.G. and J.S.E. completed the bioclimatic analysis of the spore–pollen record, and led the write-up. M.H. conducted all numerical climate modelling and Lagrangian trajectory analysis. All authors were involved in developing the palaeoclimate interpretation in this work

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shell Exploration and Production UK Ltd, 1 Altens Farm Road, Nigg, Aberdeen, AB12 3FY, UK ,

    James S. Eldrett

  2. Biology Department, Brandon University, 270 18th Street, Brandon, Manitoba, R7A 6A9, Canada,

    David R. Greenwood

  3. School of Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, European Way, Southampton, SO14 3ZH, UK ,

    Ian C. Harding

  4. Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department, Purdue Climate Change Research Center, Purdue University, 550 Stadium Mall Drive, West Lafayette, Indiana 47906, USA,

    Matthew Huber

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  1. James S. Eldrett
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to James S. Eldrett.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

This file contains Supplementary Notes and Data, Supplementary References, Supplementary Figures S1-S9 and Supplementary Tables S1-S2. (PDF 5401 kb)

Supplementary Data

This file contains data for sites 913, 643 and 985. (XLS 234 kb)

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Eldrett, J., Greenwood, D., Harding, I. et al. Increased seasonality through the Eocene to Oligocene transition in northern high latitudes. Nature 459, 969–973 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08069

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