What happened at the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum?

During the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) (56 Mya), the planet warmed by 5 to 8 °C, deep-sea organisms went extinct, and the oceans rapidly acidified. Geochemical records from fossil shells of a group of plankton called foraminifera record how much ocean pH decreased during the PETM.

What aspect of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum was responsible for extinctions?

Global warming, acidification, and oxygen stress at the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) are associated with severe extinction in the deep sea and major biogeographic and ecologic changes in planktonic and terrestrial ecosystems, yet impacts on shallow marine macrofaunas are obscured by the incompleteness of …

How long ago did the most recent warming Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum event occur?

Global Warming 55 million years ago – Wyoming The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) was an abrupt global warming event that occurred at the beginning of the Eocene Epoch, about 55.8 million years ago.

How much did the world warm during the PETM?

During the PETM, the global mean temperature appears to have risen by as much as 5-8°C (9-14°F) to an average temperature as high as 73°F. (Again, today’s global average is shy of 60°F.)

Which epoch was the warmest?

Eocene epoch
In a recent study, published Monday in the journal Nature, researchers delved into the character of Earth’s climate during the “Eocene epoch,” the first part of which was the warmest period our planet has seen in the past 65 million years.

Did the PETM cause extinction?

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) at 56 million years before present is arguably the best ancient analog of modern climate change. The PETM was associated with the largest deep-sea mass extinction event in the last 93 million years and remarkable diversification of life in the surface ocean and on land.

What caused global warming 55 million years ago?

Known as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), the geological record shows a “vast” rise in CO2 levels pushed up temperatures by as much as 5C above average, over a period of just a few thousand years. The event was blamed on heightened levels of volcanic activity pumping huge amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere.

How warm was the PETM?

At the start of the PETM, average global temperatures increased by approximately 6 °C (11 °F) within about 20,000 years. This warming was superimposed on “long-term” early Paleogene warming, and is based on several lines of evidence. Certainly, the central Arctic Ocean was ice-free before, during, and after the PETM.

When was the Thermal Maximum in the Eocene?

Alternative Titles: IETM, Initial Eocene Thermal Maximum, PETM. Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), also called Initial Eocene Thermal Maximum (IETM), a short interval of maximum temperature lasting approximately 100,000 years during the late Paleocene and early Eocene epochs (roughly 55 million years ago).

Is the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum a PETN or PETN?

It is not to be confused with PETN. Climate change during the last 65 million years as expressed by the oxygen isotope composition of benthic foraminifera. The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) is characterized by a brief but prominent negative excursion, attributed to rapid warming.

What was the cause of the Paleocene Thermal Maximum?

The onset of the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum has been linked to volcanism and uplift associated with the North Atlantic Igneous Province, causing extreme changes in Earth’s carbon cycle and a significant temperature rise.

When did the Eocene Epoch start and end?

Eocene Epoch, second of three major worldwide divisions of the Paleogene Period (66 million to 23 million years ago) that began 56 million years ago and ended 33.9 million years ago. It follows the Paleocene Epoch and precedes the Oligocene Epoch.