Technical ReportPDF Available

Phanerozoic Global Temperature Curve

Authors:
Christopher Robert Scotese at Northwestern University
Christopher Robert Scotese
Download full-text PDF
Read full-text
Download citation

Abstract

The New and Improved Global Temperature Curve for the Last 540 Million Years. PETM= Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (55.8 Ma), EEOC = Early Eocene Climatic Optimum (54 Ma – 46 Ma), MECO = Mid-Eocene Climatic Optimum(42 Ma), EOT = Eocene-Oligocene Transition (40 Ma – 33 Ma), MMCO=Mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum (15Ma – 13Ma), LGM = Last Glacial Maximum (21,000 years ago), 2016 = Modern MAT, PAW = Post-Anthropogenic Warming . White stars indicate rapid cooling episodes (Stoll-Schrag Events26) at 160Ma, 127Ma, 97Ma, 91Ma, 71Ma, and 65 Ma). Black stars represent rapid warming episodes (Kidder-Worsley Events16) at (Present-day, 15Ma, 43Ma, 56Ma, 65Ma, 93Ma, 120Ma, 183Ma, 200Ma, 251Ma, 300Ma, 359Ma, 374Ma, 444Ma, 499Ma, 520Ma, and 542 Ma). To find out how it was derived see - Scotese, 2016. Some Thoughts on Global Climate Change: The Transition form Icehouse to Houthouse Conditions.
Content uploaded by Christopher Robert Scotese
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Christopher Robert Scotese on May 26, 2015
Content may be subject to copyright.
!"#$%&'(')*+,%-.%&#/0&%+10&2%3+45+1"&)6/'."%&+78+9*'/%6%3++!:;<=>:!+!&'?%*/+
+
,"%+@%A+#$B+C-.&'2%B+DE'4#E+,%-.%&#/0&%+10&2%+F'&+/"%+;#6/+GHI+>)EE)'$+J%#&68++!<,>K+!#E%'*%$%L
<'*%$%+,"%&-#E+>#M)-0-+NGG8O+>#P3+<<=1+K+<#&E5+<'*%$%+1E)-#/)*+=./)-0-+NGH+>#+Q+HR+>#P3+><1=+
K+>)BL<'*%$%+1E)-#/)*+=./)-0-NHS+>#P3+<=,+K+<'*%$%L=E)T'*%$%+,&#$6)/)'$+NHI+>#+Q+UU+>#P3+
>>1=K>)BL>)'*%$%+1E)-#/)*+=./)-0-+NVG>#+Q+VU>#P3+;D>+K+;#6/+DE#*)#E+>#M)-0-+NSV3III+5%#&6+
#T'P3+SIVR+K+>'B%&$+>:,3+!:W+K+!'6/L:$/"&'.'T%$)*+W#&-)$T+8++W")/%+6/#&6+)$B)*#/%+&#.)B+*''E)$T+
%.)6'B%6+N9/'EEL9*"&#T+<2%$/6SRP+#/+VRI>#3+VSX>#3+YX>#3+YV>#3+XV>#3+#$B+RG+>#P8++ZE#*[+6/#&6+
&%.&%6%$/+&#.)B+A#&-)$T+%.)6'B%6+N\)BB%&LW'&6E%5+<2%$/6VRP+#/+N!&%6%$/LB#53+VG>#3+HU>#3+GR>#3+
RG>#3+YU>#3+VSI>#3+VOU>#3+SII>#3+SGV>#3+UII>#3+UGY>#3+UXH>#3+HHH>#3+HYY>#3+GSI>#3+#$B+GHS+
>#P8+
!E%#6%+*)/%+#6]++9*'/%6%3+18783+SIVG8++!"#$%&'(')*+,%-.%&#/0&%+10&2%3+!:;<=>:!+!&'?%*/3+<2#$6/'$3+C;8+
,'+E%#&$+-'&%+#4'0/+"'A+/")6+*0&2%+A#6+.&'B0*%B+6%%]+
9*'/%6%3+18783+SIVR8++9'-%+/"'0T"/6+DE'4#E+1E)-#/%+1"#$T%]+,"%+,&#$6)/)'$+F&'-+C*%"'06%+/'+^'/"'06%3+
)$+9*'/%6%3+18783+<#&/"+^)6/'&5]+,"%+<2'E0/)'$+'F+/"%+<#&/"+956/%-+#6+7%2%#E%B+/"&'0T"+!E#/%+,%*/'$)*63+
!#E%'T%'T&#."53+!#E%'*E)-#/%3+#$B+/"%+<2'E0/)'$+'F+;)F%3+!:;<=>:!+!&'?%*/3+N)$+.&%.#&#/)'$P3+
<2#$6/'$3+C;8+
+
... Using a fully coupled atmosphere-ocean Earth system model, we perform 26 time-slice simulations of global climate evenly distributed over the past 250 Myr 29,30 . The simulations are constrained with reconstructions of palaeogeography 6 , global-mean surface temperatures (GMSTs) 31,32 and linearly increasing solar radiation 31,32 . The global monsoon domain is defined with the monsoon precipitation index 1,2 (Methods). ...
... Using a fully coupled atmosphere-ocean Earth system model, we perform 26 time-slice simulations of global climate evenly distributed over the past 250 Myr 29,30 . The simulations are constrained with reconstructions of palaeogeography 6 , global-mean surface temperatures (GMSTs) 31,32 and linearly increasing solar radiation 31,32 . The global monsoon domain is defined with the monsoon precipitation index 1,2 (Methods). ...
Emergence of the modern global monsoon from the Pangaea megamonsoon set by palaeogeography
Article
Full-text available
Geologic evidence and palaeoclimate simulations have indicated the existence of an extensive, interconnected megamonsoon system over the Pangaea supercontinent. However, the ways in which subsequent continental break-up about 180 million years ago and reassembly in the Cenozoic, as well as large global climatic fluctuations, influenced the transition to the modern global monsoon system are uncertain. Here we use a large set of simulations of global climate every 10 million years over the past 250 million years to show that the monsoon system evolved in three stages due to changes in palaeogeography: a spatially extensive land monsoon with weak precipitation in the Triassic period (>170 Ma), a smaller land monsoon with intense precipitation in the Cretaceous period (170–70 Ma) and a return to a broader, weaker monsoon in the Cenozoic era (<70 Ma). It is found that global-mean temperature variations have little impact on global land-monsoon area and intensity over tectonic timescales. Applying an analysis of atmospheric energetics, we show that these variations of the global land monsoon are governed by continental area, latitudinal location and fragmentation.
View
Origin and evolution of the North Atlantic Oscillation
Article
Full-text available
  • Mar 2025
The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the dominant mode of atmospheric variability in the North Atlantic region, plays a crucial role in weather and climate. Here, to investigate when the NAO emerged and how it evolved over geological timescales, we analyzed time-slice paleoclimate simulations during the breakup of the supercontinent Pangea, starting 160 million years ago (Ma). Our findings indicate that a present-day-like NAO mode gradually formed between 80 Ma and 60 Ma, driven by the expansion of the North Atlantic Ocean and the enhanced land-ocean contrast. This expansion led to a regime transition in Northern Hemisphere winter circulation, characterized by a westward shift of the North Atlantic jet, a strengthening of the North Atlantic high pressure and storm track, and the emergence of NAO-like variability. The confluence of orographic effects of the Rocky Mountains also contributed to the strengthening of the NAO. This study depicts the evolutionary history of the NAO over geological time and reveals its coherent relationship with the evolution of continents and orography.
View
View
A high-resolution climate simulation dataset for the past 540 million years
Article
Full-text available
  • Jun 2022
The Phanerozoic Eon has witnessed considerable changes in the climate system as well as abundant animals and plant life. Therefore, the evolution of the climate system in this Eon is worthy of extensive research. Only by studying climate changes in the past can we understand the driving mechanisms for climate changes in the future and make reliable climate projections. Apart from observational paleoclimate proxy datasets, climate simulations provide an alternative approach to investigate past climate conditions of the Earth, especially for long time span in the deep past. Here we perform 55 snapshot simulations for the past 540 million years, with a 10-million-year interval, using the Community Earth System Model version 1.2.2 (CESM1.2.2). The climate simulation dataset includes global distributions of monthly surface temperatures and precipitation, with a 1° horizontal resolution of 0.9° × 1.25° in latitude and longitude. This open access climate dataset is useful for multidisciplinary research, such as paleoclimate, geology, geochemistry, and paleontology.
View
Geochemical characteristics and geological significance of humid climate events in the Middle-Late Triassic (Ladinian-Carnian) of the Ordos Basin, central China
Article
  • Jun 2021
  • MAR PETROL GEOL
Many Middle-Late Triassic (Ladinian-Carnian) global and local humid climate events that impacted on global palaeontological evolution and mineral distribution have been recorded in the rocks. The lacustrine sedimentary sequence of the Yanchang Formation in the Ordos Basin in the northeastern Tethys region may be an important example of control by global humid climate events. As revealed by an established chronostratigraphic framework and the study of organic carbon isotopes, elemental geochemistry and clay minerals, the Chang 7 Member of the Yanchang Formation was deposited in the Ladinian-Carnian, and the high total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) contents indicate the high productivity of the ancient lake. The observed elemental ratios (Sr/Cu, Rb/Sr and Fe/Mn) and high contents of mixed-layer smectite indicate humid climate events in the Chang 7³ and Chang 7¹ members. The increases in weathering degree, surface temperature and terrigenous clastic material input indicate enhancement of the hydrological cycle driven by a warm-humid climate. The arid-wet transitions, the negative excursions of the studied organic carbon isotope and the temperature fluctuations during the deposition of the Chang 7³ and Chang 7¹ members of the Yanchang Formation are consistent with the Carnian humid event (CHE) and Ladinian-Carnian humid interval (L-CHI). The palaeontological diversity and the development of organic shales, turbidity currents and sandy debris flows in the Chang 7 Member may represent the continental sedimentary responses to coeval global humid climate events. The isochronous eruptions of volcanoes around the Ordos Basin may have intensified the global greenhouse effect and become an important factor driving the multi-stage humid climate events in the Ordos Basin.
View
Simplified climate modelling to size economic boundaries
Preprint
Full-text available
  • Sep 2020
Pencil-and-paper climate modelling is extracted from the comprehensive previous research on the inherently complex natural processes. A major goal is to mediate between general scientific knowledge and the wide-spread scepticism by identifying the driving forces, seeking simple descriptions, uncovering reproducibility, and thus contributing to transparency. The results of the shortcut model are in outstanding agreement with earlier measurement data and simulation studies. Two observations are fundamentally novel requiring scrutinization by the natural sciences community: (1) near-proportionality of atmospheric infrared absorption to particle densities and (2), temperature impact from human energy consumption. Independently, the presented framework allows for straightforward climate projections and risk assessment. As result, future economic growth is demanded to zero, even in a renewables (Green Growth) world.
View
Simplified climate modelling to size economic boundaries
Preprint
Full-text available
  • Aug 2020
Pencil-and-paper climate modelling is extracted from the comprehensive previous research on the inherently complex natural processes. A major goal is to mediate between general scientific knowledge and the wide-spread scepticism by identifying the driving forces, seeking simple descriptions, uncovering reproducibility, and thus contributing to transparency. The results of the shortcut model are in outstanding agreement with earlier measurement data and simulation studies. Two observations are fundamentally novel requiring scrutinization by the natural sciences community: (1) near-proportionality of atmospheric infrared absorption to particle densities and (2), temperature impact from human energy consumption. Independently, the presented framework allows for straightforward climate projections and risk assessment. As result, future economic growth is demanded to zero, even in a renewables (Green Growth) world.
View
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any references for this publication.