Clumped-isotope-derived climate trends leading up to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction in northwestern Europe
<p>Paleotemperature reconstructions of the end-Cretaceous interval document local and global climate trends, some driven by greenhouse gas emissions from Deccan Traps volcanism and associated feedbacks. Here, we present a new clumped-isotope-based paleotemperature record derived from fossil bi...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2022-09-01
|
| Series: | Climate of the Past |
| Online Access: | https://cp.copernicus.org/articles/18/1963/2022/cp-18-1963-2022.pdf |
| Summary: | <p>Paleotemperature reconstructions of the end-Cretaceous interval document local and global climate trends, some driven by greenhouse gas emissions from Deccan Traps volcanism and associated feedbacks. Here, we present a
new clumped-isotope-based paleotemperature record derived from fossil
bivalves from the Maastrichtian type region in southeastern Netherlands and
northeastern Belgium. Clumped isotope data document a mean temperature of <span class="inline-formula">20.4±3.8</span> <span class="inline-formula"><sup>∘</sup></span>C, consistent with other Maastrichtian temperature
estimates, and an average seawater <span class="inline-formula"><i>δ</i><sup>18</sup></span>O value of <span class="inline-formula">0.2±0.8 ‰</span> VSMOW for the region during the latest
Cretaceous (67.1–66.0 Ma). A notable temperature increase at
<span class="inline-formula">∼66.4</span> Ma is interpreted to be a regional manifestation of the
globally defined Late Maastrichtian Warming Event, linking Deccan Traps
volcanic CO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span> emissions to climate change in the Maastricht region.
Fluctuating seawater <span class="inline-formula"><i>δ</i><sup>18</sup></span>O values coinciding with temperature
changes suggest alternating influences of warm, salty southern-sourced
waters and cooler, fresher northern-sourced waters from the Arctic Ocean.
This new paleotemperature record contributes to the understanding of
regional and global climate response to large-scale volcanism and ocean
circulation changes leading up to a catastrophic mass extinction.</p> |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1814-9324 1814-9332 |