Heterogeneity in global vegetation and terrestrial climate change during the late Eocene to early Oligocene transition.

ABSTRACT: Rapid global cooling at the Eocene - Oligocene Transition (EOT), ~33.9-33.5 Ma, is widely considered to mark the onset of the modern icehouse world. A large and rapid drop in atmospheric pCO₂ has been proposed as the driving force behind extinctions in the marine realm and glaciation on Antarctica. However, the global terrestrial response to this cooling is uncertain. Here we present the first global vegetation and terrestrial temperature reconstructions for the EOT. Using an extensive palynological dataset, that has been statistically grouped into palaeo-biomes, we show a more transitional nature of terrestrial climate change by indicating a spatial and temporal heterogeneity of vegetation change at the EOT in both hemispheres. The reconstructed terrestrial temperatures show fo

SUBMITTER: Pound MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5324063 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature